I. '21. 36 



and reaches the southern extremity of its distribution at 

 the Cape Verde Islands (Mihie-Edwards and Bouvier). 



Vertical Distribution. — The speeies is most abundant at 

 depths of from 10 to 40 fms. but frequently occurs in deeper 

 water. On the west coast of Ireland it has been found seven- 

 teen times at depths of over 70 fms. and four times at depths 

 of over 100 fms. On one occasion it was taken at 199 fms. 

 {Helga^cxxi, 24-8-01) and it is recorded by Caullery from 217 

 fms., in the Bay of Biscay. 



Irish Distribution. — Eupagurus Prideauxii occurs on all 

 the coasts of Ireland, but most sparingly on the north ; it is 

 very plentiful on the east coast off Dublin, Louth and Down, 

 and is also common in the south and on the west. It is nearly 

 always taken on a sandy or muddy bottom and is almost in- 

 variably associated with the Actinian, Adamsia 2jalliata» 



Eupagurus variabilis (Milne-F^d wards and Bouvier). 

 Plate IV, figs. 4, 5 ; Plate V, figs. 1-3. 



Pagurus tricarinatus, Norman, 1869. 

 Eupagurus tricarinatus, G. O. Sars, 1882_. 

 CEupagurus excavatus, Pocock, 1889. '- • ■' 

 (Eupagurus meticulosus, Bourne, 1890, ^' 



Eupagurus variabilis, A. Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 



1892. 

 Eupagurus variabilis, Bouvier, 1896 (b). 

 Eupagurus variabilis. Caiman, 1896. 

 Eupagaurus variabilis, A. Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 



1897. 

 Eupagurus variabilis, A. Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 



1899. 

 Eupagurus variabilis, A. Milne-Edwards and Bouvier, 



1900. 

 Eupagurus variabilis, Senna, 1903. 

 Eupagurus tricarinatus, Hansen, 1908. 

 Eupagurus variabilis, Kemp, 1910. 



A great deal of obscurity exists with regard to the exact 

 characters and geographical distribution of this species, owing 

 to its confusion with the very closely allied form E. excavatus, 

 Herbst. Of E. excavatus itself there are several types and the 

 right cheliped in particular exhibits considerable variation. 

 There is, indeed, a very striking parallelism between the two 

 species. In both cases the right chela varies from the form 

 having three sharp unbroken carinae separated by deep hol- 

 lowed spaces, through all gradations to the form in which the 

 surface of the hand is covered with rough tubercles, the median 

 keel is represented by an obscure and gentle elevation in the 

 median line and the lateral keels are almost obsolete. In 

 spite, however, of the very great resemblance between the 



