Report on the zoological collections made in the Indo-Pacific Ocean ...

256 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA.111. Matuta victrix (i^rt6r.).Two males are in the collection from the Percy Islands, Queensland,0-5 fms. (No. 91).Of this common species specimens are in the British-Museumcollection from Torres Straits (J. B. Jukes), and Shark Bay (F.M. Maj/ner, H.M.S. Herald ' '). Also from the lied Sea, Zanzibar(Dr. Kirk) ; Pondicherry, Indian Ocean (Gen. Hardiulcke) ; Madras(India Mus. coll.); Ceylon (E. W. H. Holdsiuorth) ; Penang (India.Mus. coll.) ; Celebes, Macassar, Bali, and Batjan (coll. Dr. Bleeker) ;Borneo (Admiralti/).Of the very distinct variety crehrepanctata, Miers, there arespecimens from Japan (Leyden coll.), Fiji Islands, Vanua Levu (F.M. Rayner), and MallicoUo, New Hebrides (W. WyJceham Perry).112. Matuta inermis. (Plate XXVI. fig. C.)I must, at least provisionally, thus designate a female fromAlbany Island, 3-4 fms., two small males from ThursdayIsland, 3-4 fms. (No. 177), three from Prince of Wales Channel,7 fms. (No. 169), and four collected in Torres Straits at 10 fms.(No. 158), also four specimens (of which three are very small,and the fourth, a male, but little larger) from the ' Herald ' collection(F. M. Rayner), without definite locality, in the British-Museum collection. In all of these specimens the carapace is ratherlonger than broad, proportionately longer and narrower than in otherspecies of the genus ; the tubercles of the carapace are arranged nearlyas in AI. hanlsii, which this species further resembles in having theanterior half of the carapace coarsely and distinctly granulated. Thelong lateral marginal spines, however, which exist in every otherspecies of Matuta are in M. inermis obsolete and represented merelyby a small tubercle. The interrupted ridge on the middle of theouter surface of the palm is parallel with the inferior margin, andthe outer surface of the mobile finger presents scarcely any trace ofa longitudinal ridge (fig. c). Hence this species is to be referred tomy second section (B) of the genus. The chelipedes difi'er, however,from those of M. banJcsii and other species in having the carpusdistinctly granulated, and in having no spine, but only a tubercle,at the proximal end of the ridge on the exterior surface of the palm,&c. (see the figure). Length of the specimen from Albany Islandabout 10 lines (21 millim.), breadth about 9| (20 millim.). The maleabove referred to is somewhat smaller. In only a few of the specimensis any trace of coloration to be seen ; and in these examples themarkings are in the form of largish patches or blotches, sometimesdefined by darker marginal lines, and in some of the spirit-specimensthere are longitudinal waved lines on the posterior regions.No reference was made to this species in my " Monograph of thegenus Matuta," * because the few specimens then before me were* Tvans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Zool. i. p. 243 (1877).