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

320 COLLECTIONS FROM MELANESIA.This species is very nearly allied to the British Podocerus falcatus,Montagu (of which the male is figured by Sp. Bate and Westwood asP. pidcheUiis), and also to P. validtis (Dana), from Rio de Janeiro,in the form of the legs of the second pair. I have not been able tocompare it with specimens of the last-mentioned species. EromP. falcatus it is apparently distinguished by the inferior antennae,whose flagellum (in the specimens of P. aiistralis I have examined)has a very long stout basal joint which much exceeds the unitedlength of the remaining joints of the flagellum ; these are two orthree in number, very short, and diminish successively in length.10. Caprella aequilibra (Sat/).A good series of specimens were obtained from weed on the ship'sbottom at Port Jackson with Podocen's australis. -;.,Mr. Haswell's examples (designated C. obesa) were from ClarkIsland in the same harbour.All appear to be males. A conical spine, not mentioned by Mr.Haswell, exists on the ventral surface of the body, between thesecond pair of legs (gnathopoda).A female obtained with the foregoing, and which probably belongsto the same species, has the joints of the peduncle of the siiperiorantennas less dilated and the flagellum more elongated ; the basusjointsof the second gnathopoda are less dilated ; but one of thedistal teeth of the inferior margin of the palm is developed, andthis is very indistinct.I may refer to Dr. Paul Mayer's recently published fine monographof the Caprellidse * for the synonyms of this very widely distributedspecies. There can be no doubt of the correctness of hisidentification of C. obesa, Haswell, with C. a'qnilibra (Say), Say'sspecimen in the British-Museum collection, although dried and in asomewhat shrivelled condition, does not differ appreciably from ourAustralian examples, nor from a specimen from the Mediterranean(Ilennah), and the dried one from Hong Kong (Harrington) in theMuseum collection, which was identified with C. crqiiilihra by Mr.Spence Bate. Out of three (presumably) British examples in spiritin the Museum collection, designated C. o'quilibra by Mr. Sp. Bate,one only belongs to this species, and this also does not differ fromthe Australian examples.11. Caprella attenuata, Dana? (Plate XXXIV, fig. C.)I refer here with much hesitation a male obtained at Port Jacksonwith Caprella o'quilibra. It diflfers from C, attenuata as figuredby Dana and by Dr. Mayer (t. c. p. 67) in the much more robust* In ' Fauna unci Flora des Golfes von Neapel,' vi. p. 45, pi. i. fig. 7, pi. ii.%. 1-11, pi. iv. figs. 20-25, pi. r. figs. 16-18 (1882).