1921 ] Schmitt: The Marine Decapod Crustacea of California 161 



is strongly bifurcate; the lower horn is almost on the horizontal line of the body, 

 and projects forward more like the usual main portion of the rostrum; the lateral 

 branches arise at the base and project forward. The movable spine of the antenna 

 is very long and slender; there is a short branch or spine on its outer and upper 

 margin near the base. 



The right eheliped is slender and rather weak. Its longest spine is situated 

 on the distal upper margin of the merus. There are upwards of twelve spines on 

 the carpus. On the median outer surface of the palm there are two rows of four 

 spines each. The ringers gape at the base ; their prehensile edges are tubercular. 

 The left eheliped is smaller and more slender than the right. The cutting edges of 

 the fingers run back to the gape, or a little more than one-half their length. The 

 ambulatory legs are slender and very spiny; the spines are from 3 to 5 mm. in 

 length (Benedict). 



Dimensions. — Type, male: length of carapace exclusive of broken rostrum 

 65 mm., width 68 mm. 



Type Locality. — Off San Simeon Bay, California, 211 fathoms ("Albatross" 

 station 3191; 1 male). 



Distribution. — Also taken by the ' ' Albatross ' ' off San Diego, California, 201 

 to 220 fathoms (two female specimens, one each from stations 4359 and 4367). 



Paralithodes calif orniensis (Benedict) 



Plate 25 ; plate 30, figures 1 and 2 



Lithodes calif orniensis Benedict, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus., 17, 483, 1894. 

 Paralithodes califomiensis Bouvier, Ann. Sci. Nat. (8), 1, 23, 1896. 

 Lithodes califomiensis Holmes, Occas. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci., 7, 131, 

 1900. 



Original Description.- — This species is remarkably like the preceding, except 

 in the relative length of its spines and the form of the rostrum. The spines of 

 the carapace are much shorter and stouter, but occupy the same relative position. 

 On the lateral margin there are two long spines ; the one above the third ambula- 

 tory foot equals in length, but is much stouter than the one similarly placed on the 

 preceding species. The most marked difference between the two species is in the 

 rostrum; in both specimens of L. [P.] calif orniensis the rostrum is bifid, while in 

 L. [P.] rathbuni it is bifurcate, the tip being composed of two well developed 

 divergent horns. The subrostral spine extends almost as far as the rostrum proper. 

 The chelipeds are as in L. [P.] rathbuni, except that the spines are shorter and 

 that there is less gape in the right hand and more in the left (Benedict). 



Dimensions. — Type, female : length of carapace and rostrum 95 mm., width of 

 carapace 82 mm. 



Type Locality. — Off Santa Cruz Island, California, 155 fathoms ("Albatross" 

 station 2949; two females). 



Distribution. — Also taken by the ' ' Albatross ' ' off San Diego, California, 141 

 to 167 fathoms (station 4358; 1 female). 



Genus Lithodes Latreille 



Like Paralithodes except that plates of basal (second) abdominal segment are 

 more or less fused, either completely or with median and lateral, or lateral and 

 marginal plates fused together. 



