286 Records of the Indian Museum. [Volare 
the distal one. When the fingers are closed, the tooth on the 
immobile finger lies nearer the distal than the proximal tooth of the 
mobile finger. In a specimen measuring III mm. in total length, 
the following are the measurements of its large chelipedes :-— 
de m. ror p. f. 
Re chelipedetee = +25 33 67 40 23 
iechelipedetn.. 25 33 66 39 22°5 
It is to be noted from the above measurements, that the car- 
pus is longer than the propodus, and that the fingers are a little 
more than half the length of the palm. 
The Mangalore specimens in our collection have comparatively 
longer and more slender chelipedes than those from Malabar. 
The telson is broad. towards the apex with a short median 
point. The inner sub-terminal spinule on each side projects beyond 
the tip of the telson by about half its length; the much shorter 
outer lateral spinule does not reach the tip. 
Minute tubercles are present on the anterior surface of the 
carapace, the exposed dorsal surface of the last pair of abdominal 
appendages, the ventral surface of the exopodites of the same 
pair of legs, the telson and the sixth abdominal segment, and the 
ventral and posterior margins of the abdominal epimera, espe- 
cially of the second, third and fourth segments. The presence and 
distribution of these tubercles are of specific value. 
Characters of females.—The number of teeth on the almost 
straight upper margin of the rostrum varies within greater limits 
(11 to 15). The large chelipedes are slightly scabrous and are 
about two-thirds the body-length. A few sete are irregularly 
distributed on the fingers which are otherwise naked. The palm 
is as wide as, or slightly wider than the distal end of the carpus. 
The following measurements are taken from the large chelipedes 
of an adult female measuring 89 mm. in total length :— 
lege ol ere sag (ee C71 Cunt om Die ue Tia Ge 
From the above measurements it will be seen that the carpus 
is slightly shorter than the propodus,! and the fingers longer than 
in the male. Adult females vary from 70 to 90 mm. in total 
length. ‘he single female specimen (with eggs) from Mangalore 
measures 78 mm. and the joint-measurements of its right chelipede 
are\as. followsi—1;-12 7 m 412 7, aria, 9131.6 pia eae 
the case of the male specimens from the same locality, the chelipede 
of the female is relatively longer than that of female specimens 
from Malabar. The Mangalore examples might almost be regarded 
as constituting a distinct variety of P. ide, but the differences 
are not sufficiently great in our opinion to entitle them to specific 
rank. 
Characters of young individuals.—The proximal portion of the 
carpus is narrower than the palm, while its distal portion is as wide 
! The reader is reminded that our imitial letter p. stands for palm. The 
length of the propodus is obtained by adding the measurements recorded for 
p. and f. 
