36 



Sea off the Travancore coast, has also been obtained by the "Siboga": a large number of 

 well-preserved specimens of unequal size, adult, half-grown and young, were taken by this 

 expedition both in the Bali Sea and between Rotti and Timor. The other species, Pueriilus 

 carinatus, was described in 1910 by Borradaile after an adult male specimen, long 19 cm., 

 that was dredged by the Percy Sladen Trust Expedition off Saya de Malha bank : this species 

 is most closely related to the preceding, but the two teeth behind the large supra-orbital teeth 

 reach farther backward, almost to the cervical groove, the telson is shorter and there are still 

 a few other slight differences. 



As has already been pointed out by Dr. Calman, in : The Annals and Mag. Nat. Hist. 

 Vol. III, Ser. 8, 1909, p. 441, Puerulus Ortm. is a valid genus, characterized, together with 

 Linuparits White, by the pleopods of the 2 nd abdominal somite of the female resembling those 

 of the three following somites and by the prismatic form of the carapace, and distinguished by 

 these characters from Palinurus Fabr. (s. s.), Jasus Parker and Panulirus White. In its outer 

 appearance, however, the genus Ptierulus also much resembles Palinurus and in this connection 

 I wish to call attention to the fact that in Piier. angulatus sometimes a rostrum, though 

 very small, is observed, as is the case with several specimens collected by the "Siboga" 

 and that, like in Palinurus, the epistome is longitudinally furrowed and the antennular flagella 

 short. But I should not wonder that the genus Pucrulus once will prove to be identical with 

 the genus Palinustus A. M.-Edw., about the single species of which, Palinustus truncatus 

 A. M.-Edw., from the West-Indies, we are now quite well informed by the important monograph 

 of A. Gruvel, who, however, did refer this species to the genus Palinurus Fabr. s. s. The 

 carapace. of Palinustus truncatus bears on e median and two la ter al carinae, so that 

 i t appears rather more q u a d r a n g u 1 a r than r o u 11 cl e d ( " qui lui donnent plutót 11 n 

 aspect carré qu'arrondi", A. Gruvel, 1. c. p. 19). The antennular tergum is unarmed. The 

 supra-orbital teeth are represented in Palinustus truncatus by a lamella, truncate and cut into 

 teeth anteriorly, behind this lamella one observes a large tooth or spine, that is foliowed by 

 two smaller ones: the lamelliform supra-orbital teeth may perhaps be regarded as homologous 

 with the denticulate prominence which in Puer. angulatus is usually found at the inner side 

 of the supra-orbital teeth. The epistome shows the same form and characters and differs only 

 by there being three teeth in the middle of the anterior margin in Palinustus truncatus, instead 

 of one single tooth in Puer. angulatus. Unfortunately the characters of the pleopods were not 

 described by Gruvel, but he also considers this species already to be a primitive form of the 

 genus Palinurus ; when the pleopods of the 2 nd abdominal somite of the female should indeed 

 resemble those of the three following somites, then the genus Pucrulus should be regarded as 

 identical with the genus Palinustus. 



Both species of Pucrulus occur in deep water, Puer. angulatus having been obtained 

 at depths varying between 143 and 7 1 9 fathoms, while Puer. carinatus was dredged in 125 fathoms. 



1. Puerulus angulatus (Sp. Bate). (PI. II, Fig. 5 — 5^). 



Panulirus angulatus C. Spence Bate, Report Challenger Macrura, 1888, p. 81, PI. XI, figs. 2, 3, 4. 

 Puer angulatus A. E. Ortmann, in: Zoolog. Jahrb. Abth. f. Syst. VI, 1891, p. 37. 



