4 L. A. Borradaile — Coral-Gall Prawn Paratypton 



In life the animal is colourless and almost transparent. 

 As might be expected, the sensory appendages are not well 

 developed. The eyestalks are short and broad, and the eyes 

 small and pale. The antennule is of the normal Palasmonid 

 type, but short and stout, with sub-equal flagella, no longer 

 than the stalk, of which the outer, though thickened as usual 

 in its basal half, is not cleft. The stylocerite is blunt, but the 

 outer distal angle of the first joint is sharply produced. The 

 statocyst appears well developed. The antenna has a stalk 

 not quite as long as that of the antennule with a flagellum 

 about twice as long as the antennular flagella, 4 and a small, 

 sub-oval, fringed scale, which barely reaches the end of the 

 stalk. 



In considering the mouth-parts of the animal, one is drawn 

 inevitably into speculation as to its food and mode of feeding. 

 Hapalocarcinus, as has been said, feeds on the nannoplankton, 

 and it is natural to suppose that Paratypton does the same, 

 in which case we should expect to find its mouth-parts 

 modified in the same way as those of the gall crab. It will be 

 convenient to study these parts in order from behind forwards. 



The third maxilliped has neither exopodite nor epipodite. 

 For the rest, it is very suggestive of those of certain 

 Pontoniinse. In it as in them, by fusion of propodite and 

 dactylopodite, and again of basipodite, ischiopodite, and 

 meropodite, the limb becomes four-jointed. The second joint 

 is long and broad ; the distal two considerably narrower. 

 All these joints are fringed with bristles, but those are 

 not exceptionally long or numerous. The long joint 

 has a concave inner edge, and is not flat but somewhat 

 warped. The result of this disposition is that even the 

 broadest of the third maxillipeds of such prawns do not close 

 the mouth-area below as do those of the crabs, but wall it in 

 at the sides, leaving underneath it an opening, partly fenced 

 by bristles. The second maxilliped is also without epipodite 

 or exopodite. In other respects it is that of the Palaemonidae 

 and relative families. The organ, formed by the last two 

 joints, for gathering in the food and passing it to the deeper- 

 lying jaws is rather shorter than usual, and the limb a good 

 deal resembles that of Phyllo gnathia (Gnathophvllidse), The 

 first maxilliped is quite of the type which is normal in the 

 same group of families. Its epipodite is distinctly lobed and 

 its exopodite truncated and somewhat more hatrv than usual. 



4. Balss says it is scarcely longer. Possibly he was describing a specimen 

 in which it was broken, 



