﻿26 
  DR. 
  G. 
  C. 
  BOURNE 
  ON 
  THE 
  RANINJD2E 
  : 
  

  

  I 
  have 
  also 
  been 
  able 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  following 
  species 
  in 
  the 
  British 
  

   Museum 
  of 
  Natural 
  History, 
  and 
  take 
  this 
  opportunity 
  of 
  thanking 
  Dr. 
  W. 
  T. 
  

   Caiman 
  for 
  his 
  courtesy 
  and 
  assistance 
  in 
  bringing 
  tiie 
  material 
  together 
  for 
  

   examination 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Notopoides 
  lotus, 
  Henderson. 
  

   Notopus 
  oralis, 
  Renders 
  n. 
  

   Lyreidus 
  Channeri, 
  Wood-Mason. 
  

   Zanclifer 
  caribensis, 
  de 
  Freminville. 
  

   Gosmonotus 
  Grayi, 
  Adams 
  & 
  White. 
  

  

  The 
  above 
  are 
  preserved 
  in 
  spirit. 
  I 
  also 
  had 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  examining 
  

   a 
  dried 
  specimen 
  labelled 
  Ranilia 
  muricata, 
  M. 
  Edw., 
  and 
  am 
  inclined 
  to 
  the 
  

   opinion 
  that, 
  while 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  distinct 
  species, 
  it 
  is 
  closely 
  allied 
  to 
  and 
  should 
  be 
  

   placed 
  in 
  the 
  genus 
  Notopus 
  of 
  de 
  Haan. 
  

  

  Thus 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  opportunities 
  of 
  studying 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  closely 
  nearly 
  all 
  

   the 
  known 
  genera 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  Raninidse, 
  which 
  

   must 
  be 
  accounted 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  ancient 
  crab 
  families, 
  for 
  it 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  

   Cretaceous 
  along 
  with 
  other 
  forerunners 
  of 
  existing 
  crabs. 
  The 
  proper 
  

   place 
  of 
  the 
  Raninidae 
  in 
  classification 
  has 
  always 
  been 
  a 
  subject 
  of 
  dispute. 
  

   Latreille 
  first 
  placed 
  them 
  among 
  the 
  Brachyura, 
  but 
  subsequently 
  removed 
  

   them 
  to 
  the 
  Macrura. 
  Milne 
  Edwards 
  in 
  his 
  'Histoire 
  Naturelle 
  des 
  Crus- 
  

   taces' 
  (25, 
  1837) 
  includes 
  them 
  along 
  with 
  the 
  Dromididrc, 
  Homolidse, 
  and 
  

   Pactolidce 
  as 
  a 
  tribe 
  of 
  his 
  section 
  Anomura 
  Apterura. 
  De 
  Haan 
  (34, 
  1850) 
  

   showed 
  that 
  the 
  resemblances 
  between 
  the 
  Raninida? 
  and 
  Hippidce 
  were 
  

   superficial, 
  and 
  placed 
  the 
  former 
  among 
  the 
  Oxystomata, 
  laying 
  special 
  

   stress 
  on 
  the 
  affinities 
  of 
  Lyreidus 
  to 
  the 
  Leucosiidse, 
  " 
  Uti 
  in 
  ceteris 
  

   Oxystomatibus, 
  os 
  Raninoideorum 
  parte 
  anteriore 
  est 
  canaliculatum. 
  Rani- 
  

   noidea 
  et 
  Leucosidea 
  unica3 
  sunt 
  formse 
  inter 
  Decapoda, 
  quorum 
  regiones 
  

   pterygostomianai 
  cum 
  sterno 
  coherent, 
  ita 
  ut 
  maxillarum 
  quintarum 
  articuli 
  

   primi 
  infra 
  palpos 
  sint 
  dispositi 
  et 
  radices 
  ipsis 
  regionibus 
  pterygostomianis 
  

   tegantur 
  ; 
  unicse, 
  quorum 
  cavitates 
  branchiales 
  a 
  parte 
  anteriore 
  simpliceni 
  

   tantum 
  aperturam 
  offerunt, 
  uti 
  jam 
  CI. 
  Edwards 
  observavit. 
  Lyreldus 
  tarn 
  

   distinctum 
  vinculum 
  constituit 
  inter 
  Raninas 
  et 
  Leucosias, 
  ut 
  vix 
  dubium 
  

   remanere 
  possit, 
  quin 
  Justus 
  hie 
  sit 
  illius 
  familiae 
  locus." 
  

  

  Boas 
  (4, 
  1885) 
  retained 
  the 
  Raninidee 
  among 
  the 
  Brachyura, 
  but 
  laid 
  

   stress 
  on 
  their 
  abnormal 
  characters, 
  and 
  concluded 
  by 
  saying, 
  " 
  il 
  m'est 
  

  

  impossible 
  de 
  comprendre 
  pourquoi 
  les 
  Ranines 
  sont 
  ranges 
  avec 
  les 
  

  

  autres 
  Oxystomes." 
  In 
  the 
  'Challenger' 
  Reports, 
  Henderson 
  (35, 
  1888), 
  

   following 
  Milne 
  Edwards' 
  arrangement, 
  describes 
  the 
  Raninidse 
  among 
  the 
  

   Anomura, 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  author, 
  in 
  a 
  subsequent 
  memoir 
  (36, 
  1893), 
  makes 
  

   them 
  into 
  a 
  group, 
  Ranidea, 
  equivalent 
  to 
  his 
  groups 
  Dromidea 
  and 
  Hippidea 
  

   of 
  the 
  Anomura. 
  Ortmann 
  (41, 
  1802) 
  follows 
  de 
  Haan 
  in 
  placing 
  the 
  

   Raninida? 
  in 
  the 
  Oxystomata, 
  and 
  subsequently 
  (42, 
  1001) 
  erected 
  the 
  

  

  