﻿298 
  COLLECTIONS 
  FROM 
  MELANESIA. 
  

  

  STOMATOPODA. 
  

   1. 
  Squilla 
  nepa, 
  Latr. 
  

  

  A 
  small 
  male 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  from 
  Port 
  Darwin, 
  7-12 
  fms. 
  

   (No. 
  173). 
  

  

  For 
  remarks 
  on 
  the 
  geographical 
  distribution, 
  and 
  an 
  enumera- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  localities 
  whence 
  the 
  British-Museum 
  collection 
  possesses 
  

   examples 
  of 
  this 
  common 
  and 
  widely-distributed 
  species, 
  I 
  may 
  

   refer 
  to 
  my 
  revision 
  of 
  the 
  group 
  *. 
  

  

  Since 
  its 
  publication 
  specimens 
  have 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  National 
  

   Collection 
  from 
  W. 
  Borneo 
  t. 
  

  

  2. 
  Gonodactylus 
  chiragra 
  (Fahr.). 
  

  

  Two 
  small 
  males 
  are 
  in 
  tlie 
  collection 
  from 
  Port 
  Molle 
  (beach, 
  

   No. 
  98) 
  in 
  the 
  fii'st 
  collection, 
  and 
  one 
  from 
  the 
  beach 
  at 
  Thursday 
  

   Island 
  (No. 
  167) 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  collection, 
  of 
  larger 
  size. 
  

  

  Since 
  I 
  referred 
  to 
  the 
  distribution 
  of 
  G. 
  cliiragra 
  in 
  1880, 
  spe- 
  

   cimens 
  both 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  and 
  of 
  G. 
  (jraphurus 
  have 
  been 
  added 
  to 
  

   the 
  collection 
  from 
  various 
  Malayasian 
  localities 
  % 
  ; 
  and 
  of 
  G. 
  chira- 
  

   gra 
  also 
  from 
  Ceylon 
  {Dr. 
  W. 
  Ondaatje). 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Kossmann§ 
  confidently 
  identifies 
  this 
  very 
  common 
  species 
  

   with 
  the 
  Cancer 
  faJcatus 
  of 
  Porskal 
  ||, 
  whose 
  name, 
  having 
  priority 
  

   over 
  that 
  of 
  Fabricius, 
  would 
  displace 
  the 
  almost 
  universally 
  

   adopted 
  designation 
  G. 
  chiragra, 
  if 
  the 
  identification 
  be 
  correct. 
  

   But 
  I 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  think 
  that 
  Forskal's 
  description 
  may 
  not 
  im- 
  

   probably 
  have 
  been 
  based 
  upon 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  almost 
  equally 
  

   common 
  G. 
  grapliurus 
  ; 
  the 
  words 
  (used 
  of 
  the 
  terminal 
  segment) 
  

   " 
  in 
  medio 
  scuti 
  gibbus, 
  elatus, 
  hemisphsericus,' 
  carinis 
  longitudi- 
  

   nalibus, 
  convexis, 
  pone 
  mucronatis 
  numero 
  quinque 
  " 
  will 
  apply 
  

   better 
  to 
  the 
  latter 
  form, 
  on 
  the 
  supposition 
  that 
  Porskal 
  overlooked 
  

   the 
  small 
  outermost 
  pair 
  of 
  lateral 
  prominences 
  ; 
  in 
  G. 
  cliiragra 
  but 
  

   three 
  dorsal 
  carinaB 
  are 
  distinctly 
  developed, 
  and 
  these, 
  in 
  the 
  adult 
  

   at 
  least, 
  are 
  not 
  mucronate. 
  Under 
  these 
  circumstances 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  

   better, 
  perhaps, 
  to 
  retain 
  the 
  accepted 
  designations 
  than 
  to 
  run 
  the 
  

   risk 
  of 
  further 
  unnecessarily 
  complicating 
  the 
  synonyms 
  by 
  applying 
  

   Forskal's 
  doubtful 
  name 
  to 
  either 
  species. 
  

  

  3. 
  Gonodactylus 
  graphurus, 
  White 
  (ined.), 
  Miers. 
  

  

  Specimens 
  of 
  this 
  widely 
  distributed 
  species, 
  which 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  

   very 
  abundant 
  on 
  the 
  N.E. 
  Australian 
  coasts, 
  are 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  

  

  * 
  Ann. 
  & 
  Mag. 
  Nat. 
  Hist. 
  ser. 
  5, 
  v. 
  pp. 
  25, 
  118, 
  120 
  (1880). 
  

   t 
  Vide 
  ' 
  Annals,' 
  t. 
  c. 
  pp. 
  458, 
  459. 
  

  

  I 
  Vide 
  ' 
  Annals,' 
  t. 
  c. 
  p. 
  459. 
  

  

  § 
  Malacostraca, 
  in 
  ' 
  Zool. 
  Ergebn. 
  ciner 
  Rcise 
  in 
  Kiistengeb. 
  des 
  roth. 
  Meeres,' 
  

   p 
  100 
  (1880). 
  

  

  II 
  ' 
  Doscriptiones 
  Animalium,' 
  &c. 
  p. 
  96 
  (1775). 
  

  

  