A minute spine at antero- 

 lateral angles of carapace 

 (fig. )• 



Ii6 Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol. X, 



igo2. Hippulyte kukentliali, de Man, ibid., p. 850. 



1905. Nnuficaris itnirecedeus, Pearson f;;fr Bate ), Cevlon Pearl Oyster 



Rep., IV, p. 81. 

 iQu/. I/ippolvsmafa kiikei/f/iiilt. dc Man, Trans. Linn. Soc. Zool.(2), IX, 



p. 426. 



Along with an example of the preceding species obtained by 

 Mr. T. Southwell on the Ceylon pearl banks and forwarded to the 

 Indian Museum pieserved in formalin are specimens of a very 

 closely allied form which appears to be the same as that originall)' 

 described by de Man under the name of Merhippolyte orientalis, 

 Bate When received, the two forms were distinguished at once 

 by their colouration, for the specimen of H. vittata was streaked 

 longitudinally with narrow red stripes, as already described, 

 while those of H. kukenthali were broadly banded transversely, 

 the colour of the bands being bright red in the preserved material. 



The species is so closely allied to H. vittata that had it not 

 been for the colour distinction it is possible that the distinctions 

 would have escaped detection ; the only important structural 

 differences that I have been able to find are the following : — 



H. vittata. , H. kukenthali. 



No spine at antero-lateral angles of 



carapace 

 Fingers of first peraeopods, when 

 Fingers of first peraeopods, I closed, meeting throughout their 

 when closed, meeting only length (fig 11) 

 at the tips (fig. 7). 1 



These two characters seem to prevail with absolute constancy. 



The rostrum in H. kukenthali is a trifle more bent downwards 

 and is provided on an average with fewer teeth. On the dorsal 

 margin there are from four to seven, usually five or six; the 

 two hindmost, as in H vittata, are situated on the carapace and are 

 separated by a considerable interval fiom the next of the series. 

 On the inferior margin there are one or two, rarely three, small 

 teeth. 



The lateral process of the antennular peduncle is a trifle 

 longer than in the allied form and often reaches the distal end of 

 the proximal segment. 



In the antennal scale, oral appendages, maxiilipedes and 

 peraeopods there appears to be the closest resemblance between 

 the two forms, the only difference being that noticed above in the 

 shape of the chelae of the first peraeopods, a feature not men- 

 tioned by de Man. The carpus of the second peraeopod is 

 divided into 19-21 segments, the proportions of the proximal 

 segment and of the chela being as in H. vittata ; the spinulation 

 of the dactyli of the last three pairs is the same as in that species. 



The epipod at the base of the fourth leg appears to be more 

 deeply bifid apicall}^ than in H. vittata, otherwise the branchial 

 formulae of the two forms are in agreement. No differences 

 could be found in the structure of the male pleopods, in the 



