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



most conspicuous structures on its edge are some half-dozen 

 strong*, unfeathered bristles on each side, around the end. At 

 the end stand also on each side two short, conical spines, the 

 outer pair rather larger than the inner. At some distance 

 forward on each side, a similar spine, of about the same size 

 as the inner pair at the end, stands in a notch. There are no 

 spines on the dorsal surface. The whole structure is very 

 unlike the telsons of the Ponton iinae, but rather suggestive of 

 those of the Anchistioididse. The length of the specimen is 

 about 20 mm. 



The foregoing description relates solely to the female. 

 It is highly desirable that we should know how the male differs 

 from her. Mr. Potts informs me that he is not much smaller. 

 Since Balss, who had males, did not describe this sex, 

 we may infer that the differences between the two are not 

 greater than those which exist, for instance, between the 

 sexes in Conchodytes. It would seem that, as in various other 

 sedentary Crustacea, they associate in pairs, but it would be 

 interesting to have further particulars of the partnership. At 

 what stage is the female when the male joins her, and how 

 long does he live with her ? What influence has he upon the 

 formation of the gall, and is he alive when it closes ? Does 

 impregnation take place more than once ? These and other 

 such questions remain to be answered. In any case, it is 

 pretty clear that the female is immured for life. Mr. Potts 

 informs me that the female he sent me lived for two or three 

 days in sea-water and was quite healthy when he killed it. 

 In freedom it was very slow-moving and clumsy. 



Balss' specimens came from Kosseir on the Red Sea, and 

 from Jaluit. They appear to belong to the same species 

 as mine, the only differences that I can discover being 

 that in the length of the antennal flagella, mentioned in a 

 footnote above, and the exposure of the eye segment in dorsal 

 view. In view of the facts of the distribution of Decapod 

 crustaceans in the I ndo- Pacific, it is probable that the animal 

 exists throughout that area. It seems to be much rarer than 

 Hapalocarcinus, but this is very likely due to some difference 

 in habitat which causes it to be less often found. It was 

 certainly not contained in any of a number of galls that I 

 opened in the island of Minikoi, in the Indian Ocean. 



It will be seen that there are many unsolved problems 

 relating to the bionomics of Paratypton. To these may be 

 added that of its affinities. Not unnaturally, in view of its 

 habits and many of its features, Balss placed it among the 



