280 



Records of the Indian Museum. 



[Vol. XXIV, 



'. Basal process of dactylus of last three legs without 

 tooth ; posterior of the two pairs of spines on back of 

 telson situated much nearer to apex than to first pair. 

 B. Rostrum reaching end of scale ; outer distal angle 

 of basal antennular segment rounded ; carpus of 

 first leg as long as or longer than merus 

 B'. Rostrum not reaching end of scale ; outer distal 

 angle of basal antennular segment acute; carpus of 

 first leg conspicuously shorter than merus 



tridacnae Peters. 



meleagrinae Peters. 



The two last-named species, as Borradaile has suggested, are 

 perhaps not specifically distinct from one another. 



Conchodytes biunguiculatus (Paulson). 



1875. Pontonia biitnguiciilata, Paulson, Crust. Red Sea, p. ill, figs". 

 1, \a-n. 



V 1893. Pontonia tridacnae, Henderson, Trans. Linn. Soc. (2) Zool. V, 



p. 438. 

 ? 1905. Conchodytes meleagrinae, Pearson, Ceylon Pearl Oyster Rep. 

 IV, p. 77. 



V 1906. Conchodytes meleagrinae, Nobili, Ann. Set. nat., Zool. (9) IV, 



p. 77 (pari). 



The specimen figured by Paulson possesses a large protuber- 

 ance on the outer side of the dactylus of the right second peraeo- 

 pod, but this, as Nobili has suggested, is probably an individual 

 abnormality. If this be conceded there is little doubt that the 

 specimens which I record here are correctly identified. 



Text-fig. 103.— Conchodytes biunguiculatus (Paulson). 



a. Third maxilliped. .c. Dactylus of third peraeopod. 



b. Fingers of second peraeopod. d. Telson. 



The characteristic features of the species are the following: — 

 (i) The rostrum is sharply pointed in dorsal view and falls 



short of the apex of the antennal scale, usually not reaching the 



end of the antennular peduncle. 



(ii) The outer margin of the basal segment of the antennular 



peduncle terminates in an acute point. 



