538 



of the pereon and the pleon. The telson is much longer than uropods III 

 in adult females, in males slightly so. In longer individuals the telson 

 may be shorter than uropods III or equal to it in length. 



Distribution: Found in the tropics and subtropics of the Pacific, 

 Indian and Atlantic oceans; it has not been reported in the Mediterranean 

 Sea. Everywhere not numerous. The preferred depths are 25-50 m. 

 Reproduction occurs year round. 



435 2. Rhabdosoma whitei Bate, 1862 (Fig. 232) 



Bate, 1862: 345; BovalHus, 1890: 118, 125 (Xiphocephalus); 

 Stephensen, 1925a: 207; Spandl, 1927: 208; Pirlot, 1938: 373; 

 Shoemaker, 1945a: 255; Fage, 1960: 97; Filial, 1966: 194.— armatum 

 Claus, 1887: 74; Stebbing, 1888: 1601 .—investigatoris Giles, 1887: 

 219.— lilljeborgi Bo\a\lius, 1890: 119 (Xiphocephalus). 



Length of females up to 74 mm, of males up to 62 mm. 



The body proportions in general are identical to those in R. armatum. 

 The rostrum is approximately 1/3 and the pereon and the pleon together 

 1/4 the total body length. 



The 5th segment of pereopods I is distally broadened and the pos- 

 terior distal angle projects as a triangular lobe with a sharp pointed tip, 

 extending in females beyond the base of the claw, and in males shorter; 

 the 6th segment has a bulged anterior margin and the posterior margin in 

 females has a distally pointed process reaching the middle of the claw, 

 while in males the process is rounded; the processes of the 5th-6th seg- 

 ments are denticulate. The 5th segment of pereopods II is elongated and 

 the distal process of the posterior margin is narrow, extending in females 

 beyond the base of the claw, in males not reaching it; the length of the 

 6th segment is twice its width and the posterior margin projects distally, 

 forming in females a triangular, in males a rounded low projection. The 

 4th segment of pereopods III-IV is longer but broader than the rest. In 

 pereopods V-VI the segments are also narrow and the distal ones of 

 pereopods VI bear thin spines on the anterior margin. Pereopods VII are 

 reduced to unsegmented oval plates. Males have only two pairs of gills, 

 located on somites V-VI of the pereon. In females the oostegites are in 

 the form of narrow separated plates. 



Unlike in R. armatum, the pleon in adult females is very slightly 

 longer than the pereon. The pleopods are poorly developed. The uro- 

 some is long and thin. Urosomite II is somewhat longer than urosomite I. 

 Uropods I extend much beyond the base of the telson and have approxi- 

 mately equally developed narrowly lanceolate rami. In uropods II-III the 

 endopodites are longer than the exopodites. Uropods 11 are appreciably 

 longer than the last urosomite. Uropods III are the longest but do not 

 reach the tip of the telson. The telson is pointed in both sexes. 



