22 Records of the Indian Museum. 



The branchial formula is as follows : — 



[Vol.. VII, 



So far as we are aware only two species belonging with cer- 

 tainty to this genus have been described, M. agulhasensis , Bate, 

 the type of the genus, and M. orientalis, Bate. Caiman, in his 

 valuable contribution to our knowledge of this family (1906), has 

 pointed out that Hodgson's M. australis is in reality a species of 

 Nauticaris and has also suggested that Milne-Edward's Hippolyte 

 spinifrons, which G. M. Thomson referred to M erhippolyte , 

 is in all probability a species of Alope. With this suggestion 

 we were inclined to concur; but Chilton (1911, p. 547) has 

 recently recorded four specimens of M. spinifrons from the Ker- 

 madec Is and it is clear from his paper that the species is quite 

 distinct from Alope palpalis. M. spinifro7is, however, still stands 

 in urgent need of redescription. 



From both the species in the ' Challenger ' Report and from 

 M. spinifrons the present species is readily distinguished by the 

 peculiar form of the rostrum and by many other less conspicuous 

 characteristics. Though it agrees almost exactly with Miss 

 Rathbun's account of Spirontocaris kauaiensis from the Hawaiian 

 Islands (1906, p. 913) the resemblance must be entirely superficial. 

 The carpus of the second peraeopods in Spirontocaris is composed 

 of only six or seven segments and it is to be assumed that such a 

 number occurs in S. kavaiensis— it is not mentioned in the 

 description. Apart from this feature the two genera are readily 

 distinguished by the gill-formula and by the number of segments 

 in the mandibular palp. 



Two specimens of Merhippolyte calmani, 50 and 56 mm. in 

 length, were obtained at St. 391. Both examples are female and 

 in the larger, which is ovigerous, the eggs measure -46 X '39 mm. 

 in their longer and shorter diameters. 



Family CRANGONIDAE. 



Aegeon (Parapontocaris) bengalense, Wood-Mason. 



Aegean [Parapontocaris) bengalense, Alcock, 1901, p. 122, and ///. 

 Zool. Invest , Crust., pi. ix, fig. i. 



Two male specimens, measuring 29 and 30-5 mm. in length 

 were obtained at St. 391. 



