246 



Memoirs of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol. V, 



a. 



The opening of the buccal cavern is transversely oval, widest in the middle. 

 Its lateral border is formed by a pair of sharp ridges, that coalesce both in front and 

 behind and enclose a deep trough formed to receive the outer edge of the exopod 

 of the third maxillipedes (text-fig. iya). The structure of the latter appendages is 

 sufficiently described under the generic heading. 



The chelipedes are much larger in the male than in the female, but are sym- 

 metrical in both sexes. In the female they are a little shorter, and in the male about 

 a third longer than the breadth of the carapace. The merus is trigonal, with the 



upper and outer margins serrated and often 

 with a few tubercles beneath ; in the male it is 

 about as broad as long. The carpus of the 

 male does not bear a spine at the inner angle ; 

 but the inner margins, as seen in dorsal view, 

 are coarsely serrate. In the female the carpus 

 is more elongate ; it bears low tubercles or sharp 

 spinules along its inner and distal borders and 

 sometimes a longitudinal row on its upper sur- 

 face as well. The chelae of the male are greatly 

 enlarged, each is about twice as long as broad 

 (text-fig. 1 8a). Externally the palm is quite 

 smooth, except that near the carpal articulation 

 there is a patch of low granules which are con- 

 tinued in single row almost to the base of the 

 dactylus. The upper border of the palm also 

 bears granules, irregular in their disposition ; the 

 inner surface and the lower border are smooth. 

 The fingers are not grooved and are not spooned at the tips ; in adults they meet only 

 at the tips. Each finger is provided internally with three rows of low and incon- 

 spicuous tubercles and at the base of the dactylus, which is a little longer than the 

 upper border of the palm, there is a huge blunt tooth. 



The chela of the female is slender and widely different from that of the male 

 (text-fig. 18b). It is more than three times as long as wide and the palm, on its upper 

 border and outer surface, bears three or four rows of large spinules, the lowermost 

 being continued on to the fixed finger. The fingers are not armed internally and 

 meet throughout their length when the claw is closed ; the dactylus bears small spines 

 and is a trifle shorter than the palm. The chelipedes of the female are densely tomen- 

 tose, whereas in the male they are almost bare. 



The walking legs are short and stout. The upper surface of the merus bears 

 scattered tubercles, sometimes very conspicuous in the female, less well developed as 

 a rule in males; the anterior border is feebly crenulate. On the posterior border 

 and lower surface of the merus are spinules and tubercles, very characteristic in their 

 disposition (text-fig. 19). The posterior border bears a row of spinules of varying 

 size, one or two being as a rule much larger than any of the others. The row 





Fig. 18. — Leipocten sordidulum, 

 gen. et sp. nov. 



a. Chela of male. b. Chela of female. 



Tomentum not represented in b. 



