igii.] S. Kemp : The occurrence of Apus in Asia. 353 



II.— NOTES ON MAJOR WALTON'S SPECIMENS AND ON 

 OTHERS FROM KASHMIR WITH A LIST OF PRE- 

 VIOUS RECORDS FROM EASTERN ASIA. 



By Stanley Kemp, B.A.. Assistant Superintendent, 

 Indian Museum. 



In addition to the fine specimens of Apus sent to us by Major 

 Walton a nnml^er have been obtained during the present year 

 from Kashmir. For these we are indebted to Mr. T. Bainbrigge 

 Fletcher of the Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, who re- 

 ceived them from the Settlement Commissioner of Jammu and 

 Kashmir State. 



When forwarding the specimens the Commissioner remarks 

 that they "occasionally do much damage to rice seedlings in the 

 Banihal ilaka south of the Pir Panjal range at a height of about 

 6,000 ft. The damage occurs in the first few days of growth only, 

 mainly where the irrigation water is particularly cold, and is 

 greater in a year like the present, when the winter snow-fall is 

 exceptionally heavy and melts late." He also remarks that as 

 far as he is aware it does not occur in the extensive rice cultiva- 

 tion of the Kashmir valley, a region separated from the Banihal 

 district by the Pir Panjal range, in this part from 9,200 to 14,000 

 ft. in height ; nor does it seem to occur in the lower hills to the 

 south. 



While the re-discovery of this genus in India in two widely 

 separated localities after a lapse of forty years is of considerable 

 interest, it coincides with our knowledge of its erratic occurrence 

 in other countries. But the statement that Apus has become an 

 agricultural pest in Kashmir calls for further investigation. 



No males occur in either collection, 



I have carefully examined Major Walton's specimens and also 

 those from Kashmir and have reached the conclusion that all are 

 specifically identical with the European A. cancriformis. It must 

 however be confessed that this determination is made with no 

 great confidence ; the taxonomy of the Notostraca stands in 

 urgent need of revision and a stud}^ of the literature seems to 

 indicate that the characters used for specific dift'erentiation are 

 few in number and for the most part subject to much variation. 

 There can be little doubt that when the group is monographed a 

 considerable reduction in the numbers of known species will be^ 

 effected. 



There are, indeed, noticeable distinctions between the speci- 

 mens from Kashmir and those from Bulandshahr ; but it appears 

 probable that these are due merely to differences in biological 

 conditions correlated with altitude and , until the importance of 



