42 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, Vol. VII, January, 1953 
6. The carpal articles of the second legs. These 
were described as having the first article slight- 
ly longer than the sum of the remaining four; 
however, this ratio was found to vary so that 
in some the first article was shorter than the 
sum of the distal articles (as is the case for the 
specimen described above) ; on the other 
hand, the longest article measured was 1.3 
times the length of the distal articles. 
7. The dactylus of the third and fourth legs. 
This was almost always as described and de- 
picted by Coutiere, but some variation was 
noted. Instead of having the lower unguis 
markedly larger than the distal unguis, oen 
specimen with three normal dactyli had a dac- 
tylus on the fourth legs which had the inferior 
hook much shorter and only slightly larger 
in basal diameter than the distal tooth (Fig. 
ll)k). Others showed conditions approaching 
this extreme on one or more legs. The dactyli 
also varied in the angle between the two 
hooks; in most the spread was 45 degrees or 
less (when the main axis of the hooks was 
projected from the point of meeting) ; in one 
specimen the spread was about 60 degrees. 
The series of measurements necessary to 
study the variation in proportions of the ap- 
pendages and telson were not made, but a 
simple visual comparison showed these pro- 
portions to exhibit a range comparable to that 
discussed above. 
This variation is a mere extension of the 
variability already noted by Coutiere, and 
these Hawaiian forms agree rather well with 
the characteristics noted by Coutiere, except 
on one point. In his description of the dactyli 
of the third and fourth legs Coutiere states 
that the ventral hooks are, "... courbe, ob- 
tuse, suivie d’une concavite du bord inferieur 
parfois assez marquee pour indiquer une 
ebauche de triunguiculation.” Yet his draw- 
ing of the dactylus shows the ventral hook 
far from obtuse and gives no indication of the 
location of a concavity. The Hawaiian speci- 
mens agree with the figure, not the descrip- 
tion. 
An attempt was made to determine if any 
of these variable characteristics would be con- 
stant and discrete enough to separate the 
population into either distinct species or va- 
rieties. However, all the characteristics seemed 
to vary within the limits given above. For ex- 
ample, although most of the specimens seemed 
to be either the form with a long rostrum or 
the form with the short depressed rostrum, 
some individuals were intermediate between 
the extremes. Again, careful measurements 
were made on a series of specimens from the 
same location to determine if the length of 
the squamous portion of the scaphocerite 
would be a good criterion for separation; in 
the specimens examined the shortest squa- 
mous portion was slightly less than two thirds 
the length of the lateral spine, the longest was 
more than five sixths the length, but many 
were intermediate between the two. It was 
concluded that neither these nor the other 
characteristics discussed above were constant 
enough to be the basis of separation of any 
subspecific forms. 
However, the species has been separated 
into five varieties by Coutiere (1905, 1909) 
and de Man (1911): S. paraneomeris var. pro- 
latus de Man, S. paraneomeris var. halmaherensis 
de Man, S. paraneomeris var. praedahundus de 
Man, S. paraneomeris var. prasalini Coutiere, 
and S. paraneomeris var. seychellensis Coutiere. 
There is confusion about the varietal name 
S. paraneomeris var. prolatus, which first ap- 
pears as a name in Coutiere (1909: 9), where 
he states "5. paraneomeris prolatus, new name 
( = 5. paraneomeris oxyceros Coutiere)," yet 
there are no references in the Zoological Rec- 
ord or in Coutiere’s bibliographies to an S. 
paraneomeris oxyceros. A possible clue to the 
name appears on page 12 of the 1909 work: 
S. lockingtoni differs from 5". paulsoni almost solely by 
the spine of the scaphocerite being longer in the latter 
and surpassing the carpocerite; with the exception of 
the place of origin, the second species would corre- 
spond to the ’‘'‘oxyceros" form so often met with that 
it appears to be almost a constant variation among the 
sub-species of a given species. “ 
[Footnote]^ ... in deference to the accepted rule of 
nomenclature which forbids duplication of names with- 
