140 A. Alcock — Carcinological Fauna of India. [No. *5, 



The abdomen of the male, when denuded, has a broad convex ridge 

 down the middle line ; but when not denuded, the terminal segments 

 of the male abdomen form with the basal joints of the chelipeds and 

 first two pair of legs a remarkably flat surface, owing to the abrupt 

 angular bending up of the last three abdominal segments. 



The sternal grooves of the female approach one anotlier closely, but 

 do not actually meet, on the second segment of the sternum, near the 

 anterior end of which they terminate, but without tnbevcles. 



In the Indian Museum are 4 males and an egg-laden female, from 

 Mergui, Port Blair, and the Persian Gnlf. 



The carapace of the largest specimen is 24 millirn. long. 



In one of the male specimens, in which the vasa deferentia are, as 

 usual, wonderfully prominent, there are also openings in the basal joints 

 of the 2nd pair of legs (3rd pereiopods) corresponding with the genital 

 openings of the female. 



JDistrihution : Red Sea and East coast of Africa, Persian Gulf, 

 Ceylon, Coromandel coast, Andaman Sea, Malay Archipelago. 



Subgenus Dromidia, Stimpson. 



Dromidia, Stimpson, Proo. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad., 1858, p. 225 : Henderson, 

 Challenger Anomura, p 12: Ortraann in Bronn's Thier Reich, V. ii. Arthropoda, 

 p. 1155. 



Dromidia is stated to differ from Dromia in having (1) the efferent 

 branchial channels defined each by a distinct ridge, and (2) the sternal 

 grooves of the female produced to, and approximated together on, the 

 segment bearing the chelipeds. 



Neither of these characters is sufficiently definite to be of generic 

 value, and I do not think that they are enough to justify even sub- 

 generic recognition. 



Henderson (Trans. Linn. Soc, Zool. (2) V. 1893, p. 406) includes 

 Dromia (Dromidia) australiensis Has well in the Indian Fauna, basing 

 his identification on de Man's figure (Archiv. fiir Naturges. LIII. 1887, 

 i. pi. xvii. fig. 6.) But as that figure does not seem to me to correspond 

 unequivocally with HaswelFs description (Proc. Linn. Soc, N. S. Wales, 

 VI. 1882, p. 755, and Cat. Austral. Crust, p. 139), it is sufficient for 

 present proposes to quote these references. 



Subgenus Cryptodromia, Stimpson. 



Cryptodromia, Stimpson, Proc. Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad., 1858, p. 225 : Miers, Cat. 

 Crust. New Zealand, p. 57 : Haswell, Cat. Austral. Crust., p. 138 : Henderson, 

 Challenger Anomura, p. 5 : Ortmana in Bronn's Thier Reich, V. ii. Arthropoda, 

 p. 1155. 



Epidromia, Kossmann, Eeise roth-Meer., Crust,, p. 69. 



