230 A. Alcock — Oar etiological Fauna of India. [No. 2, 



In this variable species the constant characters are : — 



(1) the discoid (i.e., non-globose) carapace, with elevations only 



down the middle line : 



(2) the long slender legs of the second pair. 



(3) the large size of the spine at the external angle of the buccal 



frame. 



In the Museum collection are specimens from the Sandheads, R. 

 Hughli ; Mergui ; Andamans ; and also from Hong Kong, whence the 

 species was originally described by Stimpson. 



Doclea muricata (Herbst), Edw. 



Cancer muricatus, Herbst, Krabben, I. ii. 211, tab. xiv. fig. 83; and Fabricms, 

 Ent. Sysfc. II. 459. 



Inachus muricatus, Fabricius, Supplement, p. 355. 



[Maia muricata, Bosc, I. 255.] 



Doclea muricata, Milne-Edwards, Hist. Nat. Crust. I. 295. 



Doclea muricata, Adams & White, ' Samarang' Crustacea, p. 8. 



Doclea muricata, E. Nauck, Zeits. Wiss. Zool., XXXIV. 1880, p. 38, (gastric 

 teeth). 



Doclea muricata, C. W. S. Aurivillius, Kongl. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handl., XXIII. 

 1888-89, No. 4, p. 43, pi. iv. fig. 5. 



Doclea muricata, A. O. Walker, Journ. Linn. Soc, Zool., XX. 1890, p. 109. 



Doclea muricata, Henderson, Trans. Linn. Soc, Zool. (2) V. 1893, p. 342. 



Body and legs, except the hands and dactyli, closely covered with 

 crisp very short velvet. 



Carapace subglobular. Rostrum short, distinctly bifid. Besides 

 the spine formed by the basal antennal joint, and two denticles at the 

 outer angle of the buccal frame, the autero-lateral margin is armed with 

 four spines, the last of which, situated near the middle of the branohi- 

 ostegal border, is considerably the largest. The carapace is traversed 

 fore and aft in the middle line by a row of sharp spines, the last of 

 ■which, situated on the posterior border, is considerably the largest. 

 Between the median and lateral rows of spines, on the branchial region 

 on either side, are two large spines, one behind the other. There are 

 thus five series of spines upon the carapace, which is otherwise charac- 

 terized by the distinct delimitation of its regions, and by a sort of fes- 

 tooning of the border between the median and lateral series of regions. 



The chelipeds are slender throughout in both sexes, and are hardly 

 equal in length to the carapace measured from the base of the rostrum 

 to the base of the posterior spine : the second pair of trunk-legs are 

 rather more than twice the length of the chelipeds. 



The abdomen consists of seven distinct segments in the male ; and 

 of four in the female, the 3rd to the 6th being fused. 



