412 A. E. Verrill — Decapod Crustacea of Bermuda. 



smallest individual with eggs is 10™"" long, 11.5"'™ wide. Some of 

 the eggs contain well developed ^^oung, about ready to hatch. 



Dr. Stimpson failed to recognize this common species among the 

 large W. Indian collections that he studied. He probably confused 

 it with J/, scidptus, which is closely allied. 



Although several recent writers identify this species with M. 

 forceps M.-Edw. (from S. America), it must be admitted that it does 

 not agree with his figure and description. However, I have exam- 

 ined Brazilian specimens agreeing well with those from Bermuda. 

 But two similar species may occur there. 



Edwards does not describe his species as having strong, oblique 

 branchial ridges and grooves, though they are, perhaps, faintly indi- 

 cated in his figure. He says that the surface of the carapace is 

 scarcely nodular, some tuberculiform elevations showing only near 

 the branchial regions. 



The carapace, as stated by him, is proportionately the same as 

 ours (length, 30™"; breadth, 85™™; ratio 1: 1. 17; in our larger males 

 it is from 1:1.18 to 1:1.24. The form of the merus of the maxil- 

 lipeds is quite unlike our species, and the same is true of the basal 

 joint of the antennae. Unless his figures and description were very 

 incorrect, in all these and other respects, it would be unreasonable 

 to consider them identical, for the allied species do not vary to any 

 such extent in these important chai'acters. Of the present species I 

 have had more than a hundred specimens, of all sizes, for comparison. 

 Although the young differ considerably from the adults, as to areo- 

 lations, they have essentially the same forms of the basal antennal 

 plate and maxillipeds and do not approach those figured by Edwards. 



The chelae of the male, according to his description and figure, 

 are rather long and slender, length to breadth as 3:1; while in ours, 

 of similar size or smaller, they are much stouter, ratios about as 

 2: 1. Moreover specimens of the present species, formerly sent to 

 M. Edwards by Prof. Smith, were not identified as his species by him. 



Therefore I have preferred to retain hirsutipes (Kings.) as the 

 name for the Bermuda and West Indian form, at least as a variety 

 or geographical race, until Edwards' type can be reexamined. 



We found this one of the most common crabs at the Bermudas. 

 It occurred on almost ever}' rocky shore and reef in crevices and liv- 

 ing under stones and dead corals, and also often exposed, between 

 tides and in shallow water; l-lV fathoms (Challenger coll.). 



It was in the collections of Jones; Goode; the Challenger; and 

 nearly every other Inter collector. 



