1900.] A. Alcock — Carcinological Fauna of India. 347 



more than half-way along the propodite of the 3rd pair— and have a 

 much narrower merus. In all the legs the dactylus is stout and fluted 

 like a bayonet and has more or less of its anterior surface hairy : though 

 somewhat laterally-compressed at base and gradually broadening and 

 becoming dorso-ventrally- compressed towards the tip, it may fairly be 

 called sty lif or m. The propodites of the first two pairs of legs have 

 conspicuous brushes of hairs along their anterior surface. 



In the Indian Museum are 84 specimens from all parts of the coasts 

 of the mainland and islands of India. Lnrge specimens have the 

 carapace 40 millim. long and about 45 millim. in greatest breadth. 



Distribution : Indo-Pacific, from the east coast of Africa to the 

 Sandwich Islands. 



In young specimens the surface of the appendages is smoother and 

 the eyestalks are not prolonged beyond the eyes, which are of large size. 

 In half-grown specimens the terminal style of the eyes is still short. * 



44. Ocypoda macrocera, Edw. • • ■ 



Ocypoda macrocera, Milne Edwards, Hist. N;it. Crust. II. 49: Kingsley, Proc. 

 Ac. Nat. Sci. Philad. 1880, p. 181 : Miers, Ann. Mag. Nat.. Hist. (5) X. 1882, pp. 378, 

 381 : Ortmann, Zool. Jahrb., Syst., X. 1897-98, pp. 360, 368. 



Closely related to 0. ceratophthalma, from which it is distinguished 

 by the following characters : — 



(1) the carapace is rather broader and the orbits are a little more 

 oblique : 



(2) the raised marginal row of granules on the external maxillipeds 

 is less pronounced : 



(3) the fingers of the smaller cheliped are lamellar up to the tips, 

 which are broad and blunt, not pointed : 



(4) the stridulating ridge is less hairy and consists entirely of 

 striae. 



(5) it is a smaller species, large specimens having the carapace 31 

 millim. long and 37 millim. broad. - 



In the Indian Museum are 78 specimens from the coasts of the 

 Bay of Bengal : there are none from the west coast or from any of the 

 islands, and the species appears to be confined to the Bay. 



The colour, in life, is bright red. This species lives in large 

 warrens in the sands of almost all parts of the east coast of the penin- 

 sula. One of its most active enemies is the Brahminy kite {Haliastuv 

 indus). One almost certain use of the stridulating-organ is to give 

 warning to intending trespassers, of its own species, that a burrow is 

 already occupied by its rightful owner. 



