PUYLI.OPnn CRTTSTACEA 43 



Genus Sircptoccphaliis Baird 

 1852 Sfn'pfoci'plialus Uaird. I'roc. Zool. Soc. Lniidon 20:20 



With the characters of the family. 



The species of the genus Strcptoccphaliis liitherto descriljed fmni the Indian region liave 

 i)een named 5". diclwtomusBa.hd, and S. dichotouiiis var. siinphw (lurney. But an examina- 

 tion of the specimens of the Yale North India Expedition and the numerous specimens 

 sent me from the Indian Museum has shown that such a classification is untenable. If it 

 were to he allowed, a numljer of subvarieties of var. simplex would have to be erected, 

 some of whicli wmild lie geographically distinct ; and even though the ranges overlap slightly, 

 there already appears to be a geographical distinction between .S". dichotoiiiiis, and 5'. d. var. 

 simplex, so that a sub-specific distinction would be proper at the very least. If var. simplex, 

 the more primitive form, had been described first, it would perhaps be possible to express the 

 relationships without too much confusion, but under the present conditions it seems much 

 l)etter to raise (iurney's variety to the rank of a full species, with 3 sub-species. This (to 

 some perliaps drastic ) step has sound precedent in the suborder, and even witliin the genus, 

 since S. dregei G. O. Sars, and .S". cirratus Daday are equally close to each other. I may 

 add that iiu intermediate ftirms have ever l>een recorded between diehotomus and simplex. 



Slrcptocepliali(s simplex simplex nov. comb. 



1907 Streploeephaliis dichoUimiis var. simplex Gurney. J. and I'roc. Asiatic Soc. Bengal 

 (New Series) 2:276 



Localities: Patiala States *Base of Simla Hills 15, collector for the Indian Museum. 

 Date? 



United Provinces: *Mirihan, Mirzapur, R. B. S. Sewell, coll. 30-XII-12. 



Reported from: Cutcli (Gurney); Calcutta (Daday). 



Types: Indian Museum, C"alcutta. 



Tlie distal chelate joint of the 2nd antenna of the 5 is often spoken of as the "hand," 

 the dorsal branch being the "thumb" and the ventral l)ranch the "finger." For tlie sake of 

 simplicity this terminology will be adopted here. The left hand of the t? from Patiala State 

 is shfnvn in Figure 7, with the parts to be mentiijned in the descriptions labeled. The terms 

 "dorsal," "ventral," etc., when a])plied to the 2nd antennae of the c? shall be a])plied as 

 if these appendages were extendetl out directly forward of the head. 



Body ratiier robust for the genus. Abdomen without furca scarcely longer than the 

 trunk. Head of 9 e\'enly rounded, with the 2nd antennae much folded and crumpled, often 

 largely obstructing forward vision. Head of <5 produced in front into a short conical pro- 

 tuberance which is plainly visible from above, lying between the bases of the 2nd antennae 

 (as in Figure 8, d. d'). Pedigerous and postpedigerous segments simple and unarmed. 

 Male genital sac of the f<irm usual in the genus, with tiie usual cylindrical, spinous penes. 

 Ovisac of 9 a slender tapering cylinder, not reaching as far as the last abdominal segment, 

 tip not bent. Cercopods in both sexes narrow and lanceolate, fringed all round with subequal 



