234 



Records of the Indian Museum. [Vol,. XXIV, 



H. depressus was described by Stirapson from the Hawaiian 

 Is. and has since been recorded from that locality by Miss Rathbun. 

 It has also been recorded by Borradaile from Rotuma and the 

 I,oyalty Is. (as P. spinigerus) and from the Chagos Archipelago, the 

 Maldives, Minikoi and the Seychelles, and by Balss from numerous 

 localities in the Red Sea. 



var. gracilis, nov. 



A single specimen in the collection differs conspicuously from 

 the remainder in its much more slender form. It differs from typi- 

 cal H. depressus of the same sex in the following particulars: — 



H. depressus, typical form. 



Antennal scale less than 3 times as 

 long as wide and not longer than cara- 

 pace. 



Second peraeopod (text- fig. 70) with 

 both merus and palm about 3 times as 

 long as wide. Palm rather less than 

 twice as long as fingers. 



Third peraeopod with merus about 

 3'5 times and propodus 5"5 to 6 times 

 as long as wide. 



Anterior dorsal spines of telson placed 

 about in the middle of its length ; pos- 

 terior pair much closer to anterior pair 

 than to apex. 



Text-fig. 71. — Harpilins depressus var. 

 gracilis, nov. 



Second peraeopod 



II. depressus var. gracilis. 



Antennal scale 3'5 times as long as 

 wide and considerably longer than cara- 

 pace. 



Second peraeopod (text-fig.71) with 

 merus 5 times and palm 55 times as long 

 as "wide. Palm 2*5 times as long as 

 fingers. 



Third peraeopod with merus fully 4'5 

 times and propodus 7 times as long as 

 wide. 



Anterior dorsal spines of telson placed 

 much behind the middle of its length ; 

 posterior pair almost equidistant between 

 anterior pair and apex. 



In all other respects the 

 variety closely resembles 

 the typical form. The ros- 

 trum is deep in lateral view 

 and reaches nearly to the 

 end of the antennal scale ; 

 it bears 7 teeth above and 

 4 below. The hepatic spine 

 is present and situated on 

 a lower level than the an- 

 tennal, precisely as in tj'pi- 

 cal H. depressus. 



The differences in the pro- 

 portions of the chela are 

 very striking and it is pos- 

 sible that the specimem 

 deserves full specific recog- 

 nition ; of this, however, I 

 find it difficult to be certain 

 with the small number of 

 specimens which are avail- 

 able. It will be noticed that, 

 apart from the attenuated 

 form of certain appendages, 

 the only character by which 

 the variety can be distin- 



