259 



5- Piniiothcrcs ojiychodactylus n. sp. PI. 17, Fig: 5. 



Stat. 172. Between Gisser and Ceram Laut. Depth 18 m. On reef. 3 O (ovig.). 



This species much resembles /'. rhonibifer Burger, which, perhaps, is nothing but 

 P. palaeiisis Burger, from which P. rhonibifer is only distinguished by having the penultimate 

 pair of legs shorter than the last pair. In the "Siboga" specimens the carapace, the breadth of 

 which is lY;; times its length, agrees with these of the two named species of Burger ; it is very 

 much vaulted, w-ith bulging hepatic and branchial regions, without sculpture, completely naked 

 and very thin. The front is thickened, not prominent, and the eyes are not visible from above. 



The merus-ischium of the extei"nal maxillipeds is very broad, its outer (anterior) border 

 much curved, and the inner border straight, passing with a distinct angle into the distal margin, 

 along which long hairs are implanted. The carpus (fig. 5«) is short, the propodus is much 

 longer, its breadth at the insertion of the dactylus is 2^, times its length, the dactylus is 

 narrow, styliform, reaching very little beyond the rounded dis tal end of the 

 propodus. The palm of the chela is inflated, about i'/. times as long as the fingers; the 

 latter are thick, curved towards the tip, the fixed finger is hairy beneath and the dactylus has 

 the usual tooth, which is very small in this species, near the base of the inner margin. 



The walking legs are slender and elongate, 2'' and 3^^ pair are the longe.st, twice the 

 length ot the carapace, but the 2^ pair is slightly thicker, the 4''^ pair is somewhat more than 

 half the length of the preceding pair and much more slender. The distal end of the 

 sabre-shaped and elongate propodites, as well as the dactj'li, are provided 

 with a few silky hairs. The dactyli of the first three pairs (fig. 5^) are two-thirds the 

 length of the propodite, much flattened, broadest in the middle, where they nearly attain the 

 breadth of the preceding joint, ending in a fine, curved tip; the inner margin of the dactylus 

 is straight, the outer convex; in the fourth pair (fig. 5 r) the dactyli are very slender, not 

 flattened, longer than the preceding propodites and also d i s t i n c 1 1 y longer than t h o s e 

 of the third pair, which latter are subequal to those of the preceding pairs. 

 This character brings the species nearer to P . coarctatiis Burger, P. tenuipcs Burger, P. borra- 

 dailei Xobili etc; it is especially to the latter species {^= P. tcmiipes Borradaile nee Burger) that 

 it bears a great resemblance, but in Borrai).\ile's species the length of the carapace is nearly 

 equal to its breadth, the dactyli of the walking legs are apparently less broadened and the 

 dactylus of the external maxillipeds reaches exactly to the end of the propodus. 



The eggs are very numerous and small, measuring 0.285 "''"''• '11 diameter. 



Dimensions in mm. : 



Length of carapace 6.8 



Breadth of carapace 8.8 



Length of 3^ pair of walking legs . 11.55 

 Length of 4'li pair of walking legs. 6.35 



6. Pinnothcrcs latits Bijrger. 



Stat. 53. Nangamessi Bay, Sumba. Depth up to 36 m. i O juv. 

 Stat. 231. Ambon. Depth 40 m. i 9 ovig. 



III 



