ig22.] S. Kemp : Notes on Crustacea Dccapoda. 223 



dinal streaks and some red speckling. On the first legs there is a 

 sharply defined red spot at the distal ends of the ischium, merus 

 and carpus. Between the bases of the first legs there is a bright 

 red sternal spot. On the second legs there is a similar spot at the 

 distal end of the ischium and a large red patch at the end of the 

 merus. The carpus is sulphur yellow throughout, the colour ex- 

 tending on to the base of the chela which is otherwise dull red. 

 The eggs are pale grey, when eyed with a bright blue eyespot. 



Borradaile's descriptions of P. tenuipes and P. kolumadulen- 

 sis are both inadequate and I suspect that the figures of the for- 

 mer are erroneous in several particulars. Re-examination of the 

 types is necessary before the synonymy given above can be re- 

 garded as beyond doubt. From the description I have given it 

 will be seen that the range of variation is very great and that the 

 characters which Borradaile gives in his account of P. kolumadul- 

 ensis are insufficient for the distinction of two species. Seeing 

 that the type-specimen of P. tenuipes was damaged it is unfortu- 

 nate that Borradaile contented himself with a mere record of the 

 additional examples obtained by Prof. Gardiner at Haddumati 

 Atoll. 



Two misconceptions appear to have arisen regarding the pro- 

 per name of this species. Miss Rathbun (I.e., 1904) proposed P. 

 borradailei under the impression that the name tenuipes was pre- 

 occupied by Holmes. Holmes' species was, however, not described 

 until 1900. Nobili (I.e., 1907) has stated that Leach described a 

 species from the Mediterranean under the name Periclimenes ten- 

 uipes and that Heller erroneously regarded Brachycarpus biungui- 

 culatus as synonymous with this form. These statements apparent- 

 ly led Borradaile in 1917 to abandon his P. tenuipes in favour of 

 P. borradailei. 



The paper by Nobili was, I believe, written during the dis- 

 tinguished author's last illness. It is most unfortunate that it 

 should even have been published, for it is evident from internal 

 evidence that it is the product of a disordered mind. The Palae- 

 nionid gill-formulae which are given in the paper obviously have 

 no relation to the real facts and the illustrations of the mouth- 

 parts of Brachycarpus can only be regarded as mythical. Leach 

 does not seem ever to have described Periclimenes tenuipes and the 

 species is not referred to by Heller, nor is it a fact, as stated by 

 Nobili, that in his work on the Red >Sea Decapoda he himself 

 proposed the name P. borradailei for Borradaile's P. tenuipes. 



P. tenuipes may therefore stand as the name of this species, 

 while for the form described by Holmes Nobili 's P. holmesi may 

 be employed. 



C 461-5/1. 



5525/9- 



Port Blair, Andamans, 

 4-8 fms. 



S. Kemp, Keb., 



1 9 1 5 , 

 Feb., Mcb., 1921. 



Thirty-five 



Off Ceylon, 34 fms., 6°oi' 

 N., 8i°i6' E. 



' Investigator.' 



One. 



