FRESHWATER AND LAND CRAYFISHES OF AUSTRALIA 
19 
Cheraps Faxon, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus., xx, 1898, p. 671 ; Ortmann, 
Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc., xli, 1902, p. 291 ; Faxon, Mem. Mus. 
Comp. Zool., xl, 8, p. 403, 1914; McCulloch, Rec. West. Austrl. 
Mus., i, pt. 3, p. 229, 1914. 
Parachaeraps Smith, Proc. Zool. Soc. Loncl., 1912, p. 165; McCulloch, 
Rec. West. Austrl. Mus., i, pt. 3, p. 234, 1914; Hale, Austrl. Mus. 
Mag., ii, No. 8, p. 271, 1925; Hale, Handbook Crust. Sth. Austrl., 
1927, p. 73. 
Carapace punctate, sometimes tuberculate; lateral carinae of rostrum 
feeble or conspicuously sharp. Cervical suture deeply impressed, rounded. 
Abdomen longer than carapace, either punctate or tuberculate; lateral 
margins rounded. First somite with lateral lobes large and rounded, ielson 
and uropods each half calcareous and half membranous. Ielson without a 
tranverse suture. 
Second antennae set at the side of first; squame large. Upper lip long 
and narrow, straight or slightly concave medianly. 
Vas deferens on long projecting papillae on coxae of fourth pereopods. 
Stems of podobranchs (PI. i, fig. 3) each produced into a broad wing-like 
expansion bearing numerous hooked filaments. Last posterior arthrobranch 
very small. Gill formula 21 + epr. 
Eriehson (1846) divided the genus Astacus into five sub- 
genera to which he gave a key (p. 88). In this key the name 
of the fourth subgenus is Cherax, and in the next two pages it 
is referred to repeatedly as Cherax. In the description of the 
subgenus and the new species (p. 94) the name is spelt 
Cheraps , and on p. 376 he again refers to it as Cheraps. All 
subsequent authors have used the name Cheraps , or misspelt 
it Chaeraps. Since Cherax is the name first given to the 
subgenus, it must stand. 
My friends who arc Greek scholars consider that, since 
there are no such Greek words as Cherax or Cheraps, the 
generic name Cherax is evidently a misspelling of the word 
Charax (Xdrag), a pointed stake (i.e., a thing that scratches), 
derived from the verb to furrow, engrave or scratch 
a mark. ,> blJAil;] 
Key to species of CHERAX Eriehson. 
Rostrum four times as long as broad at base. 
Five carinae on carapace. 
Squame of second antennae reaching beyond the third segment of second 
antennae. 
Great chelae long and slender, propodus two and one-half times 
loneer than broad, dactylus long and slender 
S TENUIMANUS (Smith) 
Squame of second antennae reaching almost to end of third segment of 
second antennae. 
Great chelae long and stout, propodus two and one-half times longer 
than broad, dactylus short and stout 
QUINQUECARINATUS (Gray) 
