544 



THE VOYAGE OF H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 



Alpheus avarus, Fabricius (PL CI. fig. 1). 



Alpheus avarus, Fabricius, Suppl. Entoni. Syst., p. 404. 



„ „ de Haan, in Siebold's Fauna Japonica, Crust., p. 179 (bis-ineisus) pi. xlv. fig. 3. 



,, ,, Heller, Eeise der Novara, Crust, p. 108. 



Palxmon brevirosbris, Olivier, EncycL, torn. viii. p. 664, pi. cccxix. fig. 4. 

 Alpheus parvirostris, Dana, U.S. Explor. Exped., Crust., p. 551, pi. xxxv. fig. 30. 



„ brevirosfis, Milne-Edwards, Hist. Nat. Crust., torn. ii. p. 350. 



„ doris, White, List. Brit. Crust., p. 75, 1847. 



,, strenuw, Dana, U.S. Explor. Exped., Crust., p. 543, pi. xxxiv. fig. 4, 1852. 



„ strenuus, Miers, Eoss's Voyage of the "Erebus" and "Terror," Crust., p. 5, 1874. 



„ doris, White, Eoss's Voyage of the " Erebus" and " Terror," Crust., tab. 4, fig. 2, 1873. 



This species was first described by Fabricius and again by de Haan. The latter has 

 figured it under the name of Alpheus bis-incisus on the plate but corrected it in the 

 text to Alpheus avarus. 



It appears to differ very little from the species that I have figured as Alpheus edwardsii 

 from Cape Verde Islands, and which corresponds very closely with the figure of Athanas 

 edwardsii given by Audouin. With the specimens of the two species before me, the only 

 variation between them that I can detect is that in Alpheus avarus the larger hand is 

 horizontally grooved on each side from the notch on the upper surface, whereas in 

 Alpheus edwardsii it is on the outer side only, and the prominence behind the same notch 

 in Alpheus edwardsii is less in the form of a tooth than in Alpheus avarus. 



Milne-Edwards says that Alpheus avarus is probably identical with Alpheus 

 brevirostris, Olivier, and according to his description there is nothing to distinguish 

 between them. 



Among the specimens that I think may be attributed to this species is one from Torres 

 Strait, which very closely agrees with the description, so far as it goes, of a species 

 given by Dana under the name of Alpheus acuto-femoratus, as shown on the next page. 



Habitat. — Arafura Sea ; Albany Island, Cape York. 



Station 172, June 22, 1874 ; lat. 20° 58' S., long. 175° 9' W.; off Nukalofa, Tongatabu ; 

 depth, 18 fathoms ; bottom, coral mud. Two specimens, males (?). Dredged. 



Station 234, June 3, 1875 ; lat. 32° 31' N., long. 135° 39' E. ; off Japan ; depth, 2675 

 fathoms ; bottom, blue mud ; bottom temperature, 35° - 8. One specimen, female. 



