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LITTORAL FAUNA OF THE PANAMA PEOYINCE 



235 





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tude, with its accompanying low temperature^ exerts in extending the south- 

 ern hmit of a northern fauna. 



The western coast of Central America and Mexico from Panama to 

 Guaymas — the region explored by the ^'Albatross" in 1891 — forms a 

 small part — the so-called Panama Province — of the great Tropical carcino- 

 logical Realm. The immediate origin and special relations of this fliuna 

 remain to be considered.' 



As soon as the shore Crustacea of the Panama Province came to be 

 known with any degree of fulness, chiefly through the publications of 

 William StimpsoUj it appeared that they belonged, with few exceptionSj to 

 genera living on the Atlantic side of the continent, in the Gulf of Mexico 

 and the Caribbean Sea. It also appeared that although but few identical 



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species inhabited the two coasts,"^" yet a very large number of the Panamian 

 species were represented by corresponding, closely related species in the 

 Caribbean Sea. In many cases these ^^representative" species on the two 

 sides of the continent are barely distinguishable, and, were it not for the 

 continental barrier separating the seas inhabited by them, they would be 

 deemed but varieties or geographical races of one species. 



I have brought together in the following list some of the similar littoral 

 species of the Panamian and Caribbean Provinces. Cosmopolitan species are 

 of course omitted. 



Pacific Coast. 



Leptopodia debilis. 

 Podochela vestita. 

 Anasimus rostratus. 

 Collodcs granosus. 



" tenuirostris. 

 Batraclioiiotus nicliolsi. 

 Euproguatlia graiiulata. 

 Sphonocarcinus agaSsizi 

 Epialtus sulcirosti'is. 

 TycliG lamcllifroiis. 



Atlantic Coast. 



Leptopodia sagittaria. 

 Podochela riisei. 

 Anasimus fugax. 



Collodes trispinosus. 



Eatraclioiiotus fragosus. 

 Euprognatlia rasteUifera. 

 Splienocarcinus corrosus. 

 Epialtus affinis. 

 Tyclie emarginata. 



y 



* The following Decapods, In addition to certain specks of Avorld-wide range, have been recorded from 

 the Pananilau and West Indian sides : 



Microphnjs wcddellii, Acantlionyx peMverii^ Carcims mo'na^, Cronins ruber, Achelous spinmanus^ Gelan- 

 mus maracoani, G. heierocheles, G. vocalor, G. stemdacUjlm, Geof/rapsus Imduh Ocypodc arcmria, Aratus 

 pimnl^ Goniop-ns crnentata, TTlppa enicrita, Petrolisthes armatm, Alphem minor, A. heteroclielcs. lao species 

 oiGelaslmus xxw^ Alphcm are given on Kingsley's anUiority. Both of these genera need careful revision. 



t A few species are included which are not ??^ry closely related, but wliich are the only q^ecies of the gems 

 kmton, e, g., the two species of Sphemcarcinus, Such cnse's point in tlie same direction as the rest, i. e. to the 

 West Indian origin of the Panamian littoral faun:!. 



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