398 BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OP FISHERIES. 



Family PALINURIDAE. 



Scyllaridea having the cephalothorax subcyhndrical, the eyes not inclosed in sepa- 

 rate orbits formed by the edge of the carapace and the second antennae provided with 

 flagella. 



This family includes 6 genera of which only i occurs in our fauna. 



Genus PANULIRUS White. 



Palinurus White, 1847, p. 69. 



Panulinis argus (Latreille). Sea crawfish. PI. xxvin, fig. 3. 



Palinurus arous Latreille, 1804, t. m, p. 393. 



Panulirus argtis White, 1847, p. 6g; Rathbun, 1901, p. 98. 



Carapace as long as the first five abdominal segments, sparsely setose and covered with strong 

 spines arranged in more or less regular longitudinal rows. Spines above the orbits very large, com- 

 pressed and curved upward and forward. Antennal segment with a pair of spines in front, a weaker 

 pair about halfway to the eye, a strong median spine and weaker lateral ones below the insertion of 

 the antennules. 



Abdomen smooth, each segment crossed by a furrow which is more or less distinctly interrupted 

 at the middle. PletU'al angles each produced into a strong, sharp, backwardly directed tooth which 

 is deeply notched and toothed on its posterior margin. Proximal di\'ision of telson with rather strong 

 spines; distal division with weak spines and cilia in longitudinal lines. Eyes large and prominent. 

 First antenna nearly two-thirds as long as the bod)', its peduncle slightly exceeding that of the second 

 antenna, outer flagellum shorter and thicker than the inner and strongly ciliate distally. Second 

 antenna very large and heavy, exceeding the body by more than the length of the carapace, its 

 peduncular article with numerous strong spines, its flagellum stout, stiff, with a line of cilia along its 

 inner margin and ringed with spines at intervals. 



Legs rather weak, none of them chelate, their tips acute and bristly. Pleopods wanting on the 

 first segment of the abdomen, those of the other somites with a single, broad, membranous lamina. 

 Uropods indurated proximally, membranous distally, the basal article bispinose, a row of denticles 

 along margin of indurated part and lines of minute spines and setae on upper surface of membranous 

 part. 



Color, yellowish and bluish. Abdomen with many small yellow spots; a large yellow spot on each 

 side of the second and sixth segments. 



This species, which attains a large size farther south, is rarely represented about Beaufort except 

 by small individuals. These are sometimes taken by fishermen when seining for shrimps in the 

 creeks above the, harbor or arej:aught in dip nets about the wharves in the town, but are of most fre- 

 quent occurrence outside the inlet. The largest specimen in the laboratory collection measxu-es, 

 exclusive of the antennse, 90 mm. in length. A much larger specimen, having a body length of 430 

 mm., was caught near Cape Lookout in the spring of igi6. It was kept alive in an aquarium for about 

 two months. 



Family SCYLLARIDAE. 



Scyllaridea having the cephalothorax depressed, the eyes inclosed in separate orbits 



formed by the edge of the carapace and the second antennse with flat scales in place 



of flagella. 



Of the eight genera now recognized in this family, only one is believed to be 



represented in the Beaufort fauna. 



