Hoploparia gammaroides (M‘Coy).

Sp. Char. Carapace averaging from the orbit to the posterior side-margin 2 and 3/4 inches, depth 1.5 inch, minutely punctured on the middle of the back, coarsely squamoso-punctate on the gastric region, granulated on the sides, most strongly near the front lateral margins; nuchal furrow strong, but only reaching halfway down the sides, its middle portion equally distant from the edge of the orbit and posterior margin of the carapace, or slightly nearer the former; λ-shaped cheek-furrow deep; rostrum strongly bicarinate, with a ridge-like tubercle about two lines long on each side of its base, and one small tubercle at an equal distance below the first pair at the edge of the orbit ; from a little behind the level of the orbit the cheek is elevated into a strong keel with about three large spinose tubercles, cheeks prolonged as a semicylindrical sheath to the outer antenne half the length of the rostrum: abdominal segments very flat and smooth, the articular anterior portion scarcely convex, and the sulcus dividing it from the posterior portion not very strong, first segment closely punctured like the middle of the thorax, the dorsal portion of - the others with the puncta slight and distant, flaps of the tail coarsely squamoso-punctate ; chele very large, with a rude scale-like sculpturing of the surface, broad one having the hand as wide (1.5 inch) as from the carpus to the base of the moveable finger, four large, short spines on the inner margin, moveable finger longer than from its base to the carpus; carpus with several thick short spines; smaller hand as long as the great one, but about one-third less wide; other legs very slender (third and fourth pair about 3 lines wide), subcompressed, smooth.

This fine species much resembles our common recent lobster at first sight, and has as large or even more robust claws, but similarly armed: in by far the greater number of specimens the characteristic prolongation of the cheeks, with its spinose keel becoming fixed in the matrix, causes the entire front of the carapace from a little behind the rostrum to be broken off, and so leaving no trace of this part of the carapace, heightens the resemblance indicated by the specific name. 

Common in the London clay of Sheppey.

(Col. University of Cambridge and Mr. Bowerbank.)