280 A. Alcock — Carcinological Fauna of India. [No. 2, 



Carapace somewhat pentagonal ; its length, not quite f its breadth ; 

 its surface deeply eroded, strongly rugose, and sharply tubercular : its 

 postero-lateral angle much produced outwards : antero-lateral margin 

 coarsely spinate : postero-lateral and posterior margins granular, the 

 former with a coarse spine. Rostrum short, moderately deflexed, end- 

 ing in a blunt inter-antennulary tooth. Orbits circular, deep. 



Chelipeds huge, one much larger than the other, the larger twice 

 the length of the carapace (in the female), covered with large coarse 

 granular spines. 



Ambulatory legs stout, spiniferous ; the dactylus smooth : the 

 meropodite, in all, is compressed-trigonal, with all the edges spinate. 



The under surface of the body has a worm-eaten appearance : the 

 sternum is deeply pitted, with a deep crescentic excavation between the 

 chelipeds. 



The abdomen (of the female) with a series of deep excavations 

 along either side. 



Off Ceylon, 31 fathoms. 



Parthenope spinosissima, A. M.-Edw. 



Seba, III. xxii. 2 and 3. 



Parthenope spinosissima, A. M.-Edw., in Maillard's Pile Reunion, Annexe F, 

 p. 8, pi. xviii. 



Parthenope spinosissima, Alcock, J. A. S. B., 1893, Pt. ii. p. 177. 



Carapace in the form of an equilateral triangle, its length only 

 about £ its breadth ; its surface strongly rugose, and sharply tuber- 

 cular and spinate : the antero-lateral borders are armed with large 

 laciniate spines ; the posterior and postero-lateral borders are sharply 

 spinate : the strongly-produced and spinate postero-lateral angle runs 

 forwards as a carina onto the branchial regions. 



The three lobes of the gastric region are greatly inflated. 



The rostrum is vertically deflexed, and ends in a strong sharp 

 inter-antennulary spine. 



The chelipeds are very little asymmetrical, and are beset, nearly 

 up to the tips of the fingers, with great ramose and laciniate spines. 



The ambulatory legs are armed with extremely sharp teeth almost 

 up to the tip of the dactylus. 



The abdomen of the female has a median double series, and on 

 either side a single series, of sharp spines. 



A male and female from the Bay of Bengal, 88 fathoms. 



Sub-genus Parthenomerus, nov. 

 Characterized by the chelipeds, which have a thigh-shaped mero- 

 podite, and taper to the fingers, which are nearly as long as the palm, 

 and are extremely slender. 



