368 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, VoL V, October, 1951 
mentioned that the spermatophores exhibited 
free, distinct ends, and their bases were stuck 
together more or less indistinguishably. The 
fact that Andrews observed spermatophores 
over a widely scattered area on the female 
might possibly be due to the inability of the 
male to hold fast the female. Since only one 
case was cited by Andrews, the question 
arises as to whether this scattering of the 
spermatophores is the normal manner of ap- 
plication. No mention was made regarding 
the origin or nature of the adhesive substance, 
but careful examination of many testis sec- 
tions of Potamobms sp. (prepared commercially 
by Albert E. Galigher, Inc., Berkeley, Cali- 
fornia) often reveals a continuous sperm 
mass enveloped by a spermatophoric wall. 
Since the developing spermatophore from 
each testis is in reality a continuous tube, it 
is possible that the spermatophore in the 
exuded spermatophoric mass might also be a 
continuous tube (or two tubes, if each vas 
deferens contributed simultaneously), as has 
been shown in P. penicillatus. Hurried, inter- 
mittent expulsions of the spermatophoric 
mass by contractions of the muscular vas 
deferens could account not only for the 
scattered spermatophoric masses, but also 
for the formation of the continuous sperma- 
tophoric tube into what appears to be separ- 
ate, distinct spermatophores. 
Both Andrews, working with an astacid, 
the Oregon crayfish, and Herrick (1895), 
working with the American lobster, a 
homarid, believe that fertilization is external. 
On the other hand, von Bonde (1936), work- 
ing with a palinurid, the Cape crayfish Jasus 
lalandii (Milne Edwards) Ortman, believes 
fertilization is internal. He describes the con- 
dition in Jasus lalandii in which the recepta- 
culum seminis of Homarus americanus is ab- 
sent, its counterpart in the position of this 
structure being only a shallow depression. 
He further states that this depression is almost 
covered with hard setae in the living animal 
and only appears evident in dried specimens, 
a feature which, he believes, would preclude 
its use as a receptaculum seminis. The lack of 
a seminal receptaculum in Jasus lalandii, to- 
gether with the fact that its eggs, when laid, 
possess an outer membrane of chitin, seem to 
von Bonde to preclude the possibility of ex- 
ternal fertilization and to require that ferti- 
lization take place in the oviduct before the 
chitinous layer is deposited. Moreover, in 
observations of females after mating and be- 
fore egg laying, he saw no sign of spermatic ! 
fluid on the sternum. Von Bonde concurs 
with Yonge (1938) that fertilization takes 
place at the proximal end of the oviduct, and 
that no difficulty would be encountered by 1 
the sperm in achieving fertilization inasmuch !i 
as it would need only to penetrate the thin 
chorion of the egg rather than an outer mem- 
brane of chitin. Von Bonde did not explain 
how impregnation takes place, but it is evi- 
dent that it is quite different from the manner 
described herein for another palinurid, genus 
PanuUrus. 
Crawford and De Smidt (1923) describe the 
spermatophoric mass for Panulirus argus as 
”. . . composed of two different substances. 
One substance, which hardens soon after 
being deposited upon the sternum of the fe- 
male, forms the bulk and body of the vesicle, 
while the other substance remains liquid. This 
liquid does not harden, since it can be ex- 
pressed when the surface of the vesicle is 
scraped away. These two substances ... ate 
probably separated from each other by the 
process of hardening of the waxy material 
around the liquid, the pores being formed in 
a way analogous to the air bubbles in thick 
glue, or molten glass. ...” These interpreta- ^ 
tions are obviously faulty, as demonstrated | 
by my examination of transverse sections of | 
the vas deferens and of the freshly dissected ^ 
lower portion of this structure. j 
Wilson (1948), quoting from the un- | 
published work of Fry (MS.) on the spiny 
lobster, P. interruptus, states, "The presence of 
putty on the ventral side of a female’s cara- 
pace is no evidence of maturity as many im- 
