258 



Iceland to the Bay of Biscay, but has also been captured off Greenland, in Davis Straits and off 

 the east coast of North America to Long Island. The north-eastern Atlantic, the coasts of Europe, 

 are inhabited, besides by P071L norvegiciis, by eight species, Pojit. dispiiiosns, echinu/attis, 

 fasciatns, neglectus. Patter sonii^ sczilpiiis, spinostis and trispinosus: excepting Pont. iiorvegicuSy 

 Pattersonii and sciilptJis, these species occur all in the North Sea. Pont. Challenger i Ortni. is 

 one of the most widely distributed forms, it was taken l)y tiie "Challenger" north west of the 

 Cape Verde Islands, off Tristan da Cunha, near the Philippine Islands, near Torres Strait and 

 off Cape Turnagain, New Zealand. Three species are known from the east coast of the United 

 States, Pont, abyssi, brevirostris and gracilis, of which the first and the third have also been 

 observed in the Bay of Bengal, Po7it. gracilis, moreover, also off Table Mountain, South Africa 

 and at the Hawaiian Islands. .Still another species is known from South Africa, Po7it. megaloclieir, 

 which is remarkable by the great size of the hand and finger of the first peraeopods and which 

 was captured near East London, South Africa. 



No species of this genus are known from the West-Indies or tVom the east coast of South 

 America, while Pont, occidentalis Faxon is the only representative on the west coast of America, 

 occurring in the Gulf of Panama, off Galera Point and between the Galapagos Islands and Acapulco. 



The greater part of the species of this genus are found in the Indopacific. Besides Pont, 

 abyssi and gracilis, eight are known from the Bay of Bengal, the Andaman Sea and the east 

 coast ot India, namely : J'ant. candidiis., Hendersotti., incisus, Lowisii, parvirostris, pilosiis, plebs 

 and sabsechota: these species, with which .Mr. St.vxlkv Kem? has lately enriched science, are 

 all ot a small size, Pont, sabsechota, only 9,3 mm. long, being one of the smallest Macrura known. 



Thanks to the investigations of the "Siboga" we are at present acquainted with nine 

 species found in the Indian Archipelago. Besides P'ont. Challengeri they are Po7it. atigiistirostris, 

 incisns, japonictis, junceiis., Kenipii, niodestus, moduniannensis and a new variety indica of Pont, 

 occidentalis: Pont, angustirostris, Keinpii and modestus proved to be new to science. Of these 

 species Pont, incisns occurs also at the Andamans, while Pont, modtimamtcnsis was first recorded 

 from the Hawaiian Islands, which, as already indicated, are also inhabited by Po?it. gracilis \ 

 Pont, japonicjts was first made known from Japan, where still another species occurs, Pont, 

 bidentatus. Pont, carinicanda, allied to Pont, japonicns, is only known from Hong Kong. Five 

 interesting forms occur on the coast of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, viz. 

 Po7tt. Flindersi, intermedins, obliqniis, profundus and victoriensis : they are confined to these 

 coasts and not found elsewhere. Pont, interiiiedius from the Gulf of St. \'incent bears some 

 resemblance to Pont. Pattersonii from Belfast, a form which is as rare and as little known. 

 The coasts of New Zealand, finally, are inhabited by three, firstly the already mentioned Pont. 

 Challengeri and furthermore Pont, australis and Chiltoni, that are closely related. 



As regards the vertical distribution the List of the species teaches that the greater number 

 occur in shallow water or at moderate depths, while only five have been captured at a greater 

 depth than 1000 fathoms. These five, Pont, abyssi, Challengeri, gracilis, occidentalis and 

 profimdus, are closely allied forms, as is proved by the key to the species and the first three 

 belong to those that are very widely distributed. Nearly one-third of all the species have been 

 taken at less than 100 fathoms and about one-fourth at less than 25, namely J'ont. australis. 



