ZOOLOGISCHE MEDEDEELINGEN 



UITGEGEVEN VANWEGE 



's RIJKS MUSEUM VAN NATUURLIJKE HISTORIE 



Deel I. 



te 

 LEIDEN 



Aflevering 3—4. 



XII. — THE CATOMETOPOUS GENUS MACROPHTHALMUS AS 

 REPRESENTED IN THE COLLECTION OF THE LEIDEN MUSEUM. 



BY Dr. J. J. TESCH. — (WITH PLATES V-IX). 



Though not laying any claim to being considered a pioneer in this syste- 

 matic treatise on the genus Macrophthalmus, a thorough account of which 

 has been given by Ortmann in 1897, I hope a renewed investigation may 

 be not unwelcome to carcinologists. The discrimination of the species of 

 this genus, notwithstanding they are easily to be grouped around certain 

 well-characterized forms, remains a troublesome task. As far as I know 

 Ortmann (Zool. Jahrb. Abt. Syst., Bnd. 10, 1897, p. 340—342) was the 

 first to give an analytical key of the species then known. Several authors, 

 among whom we may name Miss Rathbun, Nobili, Stimpson and Laurie, 

 have since described new species or cleared several yet undecided ques- 

 tions about imperfectly known forms, but it is especially to the accom- 

 plished carcinologist de Man that we owe the most important contribu- 

 tions to our knowledge in this respect and the minutest descriptions. *) 



The rather rich collection of Macrophthalmiis in the Leiden Museum 

 has induced me to give a new account of it, taking as base Ortmann's 

 revision of 1897. I much regret, that the terrible war that actually is 

 devastating most of the civilized countries of Europe, has prevented me 

 from getting informations about doubtful species, as it is impossible now 

 to get access to type-specimens preserved in Museums of warfaring coun- 

 tries. 2 ) So I had to restrict myself almost entirely to the material of 



1) I have to thank my fellow-countryman for several informations and advices in doubt- 

 ful cases. 



2) Notwithstanding the war, Prof. Vanhöffen of the Berlin Zoological Museum has at my 

 request taken the trouble of studying an original specimen of Herbst and I am glad to express 

 my best thanks for his obligingness. 



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