1899.] A. Alcock — Carcinological Fauna of India. 41 



and in Maillard's I'ilo Reunion, Annexe F. p. 2 : Richters in MobiuB, Meei-esf, 

 Maurit. p. 152 : var. obtusidentatus, Miers. Zool. H. M. S. Alert, p. 538, pi. xlviii, 

 fig. A. 



Xiphonectes leptocheles, A. Milne Edwards, Nouv. Archiv. du Mus. IX. 1873, 

 p. 159, pi. iv. fig. 1. 



Carapace flatfcisb, its length is from f to | its breadth without the 

 spines, its surface is subtomentose and is cut up into well defined 

 sub-regional elevations, the convexities of which are granular. 



Front prominent beyond the hardly independent inner supra- 

 orbital angles and beyond the epistome, cut into four usually acute, 

 triangular teeth — the middle two small and receding, the outer ones 

 very large and prominent. Supra-orbital margin cut by 2 fissures. 



Antero-lateral borders moderately oblique, armed with a variable 

 number of small and inconspicuous teeth, and ending in a lateral 

 epibranchial spine that is about half tho breadth of the carapace in 

 length. The number of teeth, including the outer orbital angle and 

 the lateral spine, varies from 6 in the young to 9 in the adult, though 

 there are adults with less than 9. 



The posterior border is nearly straight and makes a dentiform or 

 sub-dentiform angle of junction with the postero-lateral borders. 



Orbits dorsal not concealing the large reniform eyes. Antero- 

 external angle of merus of external maxillipeds not produced in a 

 lateral direction. 



Chelipeds of male about 21 times the length of the carapace, granu- 

 lar, the granules being in places sub-squamiform, the hand as a whole 

 not less massive than the arm : 3 or 4 spines on the anterior (inner) 

 border of the arm and one at the far end of the posterior border : inner 

 and outer angles of wrist spiniform : hand and fingers costate, the costee 

 granular, there are 3 spines on the hand, one being in front of the apex 

 of the wrist-joint, the other two standing side by side (the inner the 

 larger) in the distal half of the upper surface. 



Eirst three pair of legs slender. 



2nd and 3rd abdominal terga transversely carinate, the carinas not 

 being very prominent : the sides of the male abdomen sinuous. 



A small species : egg-laden females have the carapace 9 millim. 

 long and 20 millim. broad including the spines, but many males are a 

 good deal larger, and, on the other hand, egg-laden females are occa- 

 sionally much smaller. 



Colours of good fresh spirit specimens yellow, with much brown 

 and green mottling on dorsal surface of carapace, chelipeds and legs. 



In the Indian Museum are 81 specimens from the Audamans, 

 Maldives, and Persian Gulf, besides 2 from Mauritius. 

 J. 11. 6 



