General Catalogue of South African Crustacea. 389 



ALPHEUS EDWAEDSII (Audouin). 



1826. Athanasus echvardsii, Audouin, Explic. Planches Crust. 

 Egypte, p. 274, Savigny's pi. 10, fig. 1. 



1843. Alplieus e., Krauss, Siidafrik. Crust., p. 55. 



Krauss says: "I found this widely-distributed species in 

 great numbers in the mud of Natal Bay, where it digs itself 

 deep perpendicular holes. At the ebb of the tide it sits at the 

 openings of the holes, but at any one's approach it at once 

 rapidly withdraws, at the same time producing a snapping 

 sound. The colour is dusky green. The length from the 

 frontal margin to apex of telson is 18 lines." Krauss gives 

 a reference to Audouin, but calls the species Alplieus 

 echvardsii, Milne-Edwards, which, according to Coutiere 

 (loc. cit., p. 11) is properly A. mer/acheles, Hailstone, and 

 distinct from Audouin's species. Referring to Bianconi's 

 description and figures of A. cdwardsii (Audouin-Savigny), 

 Coutiere says (loc. cit., p. 23): "The figure 1 I; pi. x., of 

 Savigny, corresponds well to the form named A. Edwardsi 

 by the majority of authors ; the figure 1 2 , pi. x. (la (?) 

 Bianconi), comes nearer to the very polymorphic species 

 A. crassimanus, Heller, to which Bianconi's description and 

 figure must surely relate. Lastly, the little chela represented 

 pi. x. (1 /.) (Savigny) appears to me to be that of the two 

 sexes of A. strenuus, Dana. The three forms just noticed 

 live side by side, are very much alike, very common and 

 perhaps simple varieties of a single species. It appears to 

 me quite plausible that Savigny may have collected 

 them all." 



: ALPHEUS CRASSIMANUS, Heller. 



1866. Alplieus crassimanus, Heller, Novara Crustacea, p. 107, pi. 10, 



figs. 2, 2a. 



1884. A. edicardsii, Miers, Alert Crustacea, p. 284. 

 1888. A. e., de Man, J. Linn. Soc., vol. xxii., No. 140, p. 266. 

 1888. A. crassimanus, Bate, Challenger Macrura, Reports, vol. xxiv., 



p. 554, pi. 99, figs. 2, 2fc. 



1899. A. c., Coutiere, These, pp. 239, &c., fig. 293. 

 1910. A. c., Stebbing, S.A. Crustacea, pt. 5. 



No. 12, sent by Dr. Gilchrist, was dug out of mud, 

 Zwartskop River, Algoa Bay. As above explained, this 

 specimen may possibly be referable to A. strenuus, Dana, 

 or A. edivardsii (Audouin), or to both. It seems to me to 



