﻿286 
  COLLECTIONS 
  TEOM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  the 
  smaller 
  chela 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  pair 
  of 
  legs. 
  In 
  the 
  females 
  the 
  

   fingers 
  are 
  slender, 
  straight, 
  and 
  acute, 
  and 
  scantily 
  pubescent 
  ; 
  in 
  the 
  

   males 
  the 
  dactyl 
  is 
  relatively 
  broader, 
  subspatulate 
  in 
  form 
  ; 
  toward 
  

   the 
  distal 
  extremity 
  the 
  lateral 
  margins 
  are 
  closely 
  and 
  densely 
  

   fringed 
  with 
  hairs, 
  which 
  pass 
  in 
  an 
  oblique 
  line 
  over 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  

   this 
  joint, 
  and 
  meet 
  on 
  its 
  dorsal 
  surface 
  immediately 
  behind 
  its 
  

   acute 
  apex. 
  Among 
  the 
  males 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  this 
  (the 
  smaller) 
  chela 
  

   is 
  subject 
  to 
  considerable 
  variation 
  ; 
  sometimes 
  (as 
  in 
  Dr. 
  Heller's 
  

   Ked-Sea 
  specimen 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  collection) 
  it 
  is, 
  as 
  stated 
  above, 
  

   smooth 
  and 
  entire, 
  without 
  notches 
  or 
  sulci, 
  but 
  it 
  often 
  exhibits 
  a 
  

   gradual 
  approach 
  in 
  form 
  to 
  the 
  larger 
  chela 
  in 
  having 
  the 
  upper 
  

   margins 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  distinctly 
  notched, 
  and 
  even 
  occasionally 
  in 
  

   exhibiting 
  traces 
  of 
  distinct 
  depressions 
  on 
  the 
  outer 
  and 
  inner 
  sur- 
  

   face. 
  As 
  the 
  two 
  varieties 
  appear 
  to 
  pass 
  into 
  one 
  another 
  by 
  almost 
  

   insensible 
  gradations, 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  ventured 
  to 
  distinguish 
  them 
  by 
  

   name. 
  Of 
  this 
  latter 
  form 
  there 
  are 
  specimens 
  from 
  the 
  Gulf 
  of 
  

   Suez, 
  Karachi, 
  Samoa, 
  and 
  Shark 
  Bay, 
  West 
  Australia 
  (F. 
  M. 
  

   Rayner, 
  H.M.S. 
  ' 
  Herald 
  '), 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  collection. 
  Among 
  the 
  

   Shark-Bay 
  specimens 
  (preserved 
  dry) 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  collection 
  

   one, 
  which 
  is 
  apparently 
  a 
  female, 
  has 
  a 
  slight 
  indentation 
  on 
  the 
  

   lower 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  chela. 
  

  

  Specimens 
  from 
  China 
  {Gm. 
  Ha 
  rdwicJce) 
  in 
  the 
  Museum 
  collection 
  

   are 
  further 
  distinguished 
  by 
  having 
  a 
  small 
  spinule 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  

   the 
  mobile 
  finger 
  at 
  the 
  distal 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  margin 
  of 
  each 
  chela. 
  

   These 
  have 
  been 
  designated 
  by 
  White 
  A. 
  chimgricus, 
  M.-Edw., 
  

   whether 
  rightly 
  or 
  not 
  I 
  cannot 
  determine. 
  

  

  In 
  certain 
  specimens 
  I 
  have 
  observed 
  that 
  the 
  interocular 
  portion 
  

   of 
  the 
  rostrum 
  is 
  somewhat 
  elevated 
  and 
  subcarinated, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  

   from 
  the 
  Nicobars 
  designated 
  A. 
  crassimanus 
  by 
  Heller*, 
  wbich 
  may 
  

   perhaps 
  be 
  a 
  mere 
  variety 
  of 
  A. 
  ediuardsii. 
  Dr. 
  Heller 
  notes 
  a 
  diffe- 
  

   rence 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  chelipede 
  in 
  A. 
  crassimanus 
  exactly 
  

   resembling 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  described 
  above 
  as 
  occurring 
  in 
  A. 
  echvardsii. 
  

   This 
  character, 
  I 
  may 
  add, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  alluded 
  to 
  by 
  Hilgendorf 
  f 
  

   in 
  his 
  remarks 
  upon 
  A. 
  strenuus 
  ; 
  but 
  if 
  so, 
  that 
  author 
  was 
  not 
  

   aware 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  a 
  mere 
  sexual 
  distinction, 
  but 
  apparently 
  sup- 
  

   posed 
  it 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  good 
  specific 
  character. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  mentioned 
  by 
  De 
  

   Man, 
  who, 
  although 
  regarding 
  A. 
  strenuus 
  and 
  A. 
  crassimanus 
  as 
  

   distinct 
  species, 
  regards 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  

   hand 
  as 
  probably 
  sexual 
  +. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  British-Museum 
  collection 
  are 
  specimens 
  of 
  what 
  appears 
  

   to 
  be 
  a 
  distinct 
  but 
  closely-allied 
  species 
  from 
  the 
  Fiji 
  Islands, 
  

   Totoya 
  {H.M.S. 
  'Herald 
  '), 
  and 
  Sandwich 
  Islands 
  ( 
  W. 
  H. 
  Pease), 
  

  

  S. 
  I. 
  Smith 
  (t 
  c.) 
  it 
  ranges 
  from 
  N. 
  Carolina 
  southward 
  to 
  the 
  Abrolhos 
  (Brazil), 
  

   and 
  Lockington 
  mentions 
  its 
  occurrence 
  on 
  the 
  Lower 
  Califoruian 
  coast 
  and 
  at 
  

   Realejo 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  Nicaragua 
  (as 
  A. 
  hdcrochelis) 
  ; 
  Dr. 
  F. 
  Eichters 
  

   records 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  Maui'itius. 
  

  

  * 
  Reise 
  der 
  Novara, 
  Crustacea, 
  p. 
  107, 
  pi. 
  x. 
  fig. 
  2 
  (1865). 
  

  

  t 
  Monatsber. 
  der 
  Akad. 
  Wissenseh. 
  Berhn, 
  p. 
  831 
  (1878). 
  

  

  J 
  'Notes 
  from 
  the 
  Leyden 
  Museum,' 
  xxv. 
  p. 
  105 
  (1881). 
  

  

  