704 DR. W. T. CALMAN ON DECAPOD [Jvilie 15, 



species here recorded were obtained in one place, at Flying-fish 

 Cove. In addition to collections made on the reef a rich 

 fauna was found sheltering in crevices of the wooden piles of 

 the pier, and many of the smaller Decapoda, as well as Isopoda, 

 Amphipoda, and Pycnogonida, were got in this way. 



It would be of much interest to determine whether the littoral 

 fauna of Christmas Island shows any peculiarities correlated with 

 its very isolated geographical position. The present collection, at 

 all events, gives no clear evidence of any such peculiarities ; the 

 larger Decapods, without exception, belong to well-known and 

 widely-ranging Indo-Pacific species, while the few new species 

 which I have to describe belong to the groups of the smaller and 

 less conspicuous forms among which novelties may be expected 

 anywhere. On the other hand, the restricted opportunities for 

 collecting forbid us to attach any importance to the absence 

 of many widely- distributed species from the collection. It must 

 be borne in mind also that our knowledge of the Indo-Pacific 

 littoral Decapods is still far from adequate for discussion of zoo- 

 geographical problems. 



The terrestrial and fresh- water species in the following list are 

 distinguished by an asterisk. All of these have been already 

 recorded from the island (although sometimes under different 

 names) except the two species of Geograpsus which, Dr. Andrews 

 tells me, are abundant on the shore teri-ace at Flying-fish Cove. 

 Ptychognathus pusiUus was found only in the pool above the 

 waterfall on the east coast, where it was collected by 

 Dr. Hanitsch *, but Palcemon lar (apparently identical with the 

 variety described by Dr. de Man, I. c.) was found not only in 

 that locality but also in Hugh's Dale and Sidney's Dale on the 

 west coast. 



A few minute crabs and a larger number of small Caridea 

 remain over which I cannot identify with any described species 

 bvit which, from the imperfection of the specimens or for other 

 reasons, I do not attempt to describe as new. The Alpheidfe, of 

 Avhich a number were collected on the reef, are omitted altogether 

 for the present. 



II. List of the Species. 

 Xanthid.'E. 



Carpilodes rugatus (Latr.). 



,, vaillantianus A. M.-E. 



,, cariosus Ale. 

 Lioxanthodes cdcocki, g. et sp. n. 

 Zozymus cenetis (Linn.). 

 Lophozozymics dodone (Herbst). 

 Xantho hidentatus A. M.-E. 

 Leptodius sanguineus M.-E. 



,, cavipes (Dana). 



* See de Man, P. Z. S. 1905, p. 537. 



