Contributions to the Crustacean Fauna of South Africa. 359 



1904. Sphaeroma terebrans Stebbiug, Spolia Zeylau. vol. 2, pt. 5, 



p. 16, pi. 4. 



1905. destructor Eichardsou, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus. no. 54, 



p. 282, figs. 294-298. 

 1908. terebrans Stebbing, c. p. 49. 



Two specimens were kindly given to me by Mr. E. C. Chubb, the 

 Curator of the Durban Museum, who had obtained a goodly number 

 at Isipiugo on the Natal coast. 



The following points may be noted as bearing on the question of 

 the above synonymy and the difference of opinion between the different 

 authorities : in the smaller (^) specimen, measuring 9 mm., there are 

 indications of a transverse ridge on the 2nd and 3rd peraeon segments, 

 and a strong ridge on the 4th, but not so prominent as in the Ceylon 

 specimens ; there are 4 distinct series of tubercles on peraeou 

 segments 5-7 and the anterior fused portion of the pleou, the 2 sub- 

 median tubercles on the telson are flanked on either side by a tubercle 

 and the whole surface of the telson is irregularly granular. 



In the other (?) specimen, measuring 10 mm., only the 4th and 5th 

 peraeon segments have transverse ridges, the 6th and 7th segments 

 with 4 tubercles each. The two submedian tubercles on the 5th 

 segment in the $ and the 6th in the 9 are transversely elongate, not 

 circular, as if they were in process of forming a transverse ridge or 

 represented the remains of a former complete ridge. The anterior 

 part of the pleon in the $ is crushed, but the telson is similar to that 

 of the <$ . 



A larger series would probably show a greater amount of variation, 

 but the above two specimens are enough, it seems to me, to break the 

 force of Miss Richardson's arguments that destructor is a valid species. 

 The granulated telson of the present specimens is exactly represented 

 in Richardson's (1905) fig. 297 of the telsou, and the description, 

 " tuberculated with low but distinct tubercles, each one surmounted by 

 a small tuft of stiff hairs or bristles," is surely applicable to Stebbing's 

 figure of the Ceylon specimens. As Stebbing remarks, the coating of 

 dirt obscures the structure, and in cleaning this off the hairs are 

 almost certain to disappear to a large extent. 



Moreover the sides of the telsou are stated to be incurved in 

 Stebbing's specimens but straight in the Florida specimens. Here 

 again it is difficult to see any difference between the figures of the 

 respective specimens except that in the latter the apex is a little more 

 broadly rounded, but the sides appear to be equally incurved. 



As regards the serrations on the outer ramus of the uropods, the 



