found on the South Coast of Devonshire. 85 



CRUSTACEA. 



Cancer tloridus. 

 Tab. II. Tig. 1. 

 Cancer floridus. Linn. Syst. p. 1041. Herbst. ii. t. 21. f. 120. 



Thorax smooth, indented and uneven; front slightly bilobate, 

 sides quadridentate : antennas minute: arms and hands very 

 large, strong and rugged ; fangs large, black, and bluntly tooth- 

 ed : legs short, having the extreme joint covered with a thick 

 brown pile; claws small, brown: the tail is small and narrow, 

 composed of five joints, of which the middle one is by much the 

 largest, the end obtuse. 



Leno-th of the largest two inches ; breadth two and a half. 



Colour purplish-brown. 



A variety is marked with two chesnut spots on the thorax, one 

 behind the other, the first ovate, the second sub-rhomboidal. 



The females are very inferior in size, and like the rest of this 

 family may at once be known by their superior breadth of tail, 

 which is formed of seven plates much ciliated with hair. 



Not uncommon on some parts of the coast of Devon, under 

 large stones, in rocky situations, at low water. 



This species, I believe, has never been placed in the catalogue 

 of British Cancri; but being now discovered to be indigenous to 

 this island, it may be thought deserving a place amongst the 

 literary communications of this country, notwithstanding it has 

 been figured by Herbst. 



This crab was once sent to me by a scientific friend as a 

 Scotch production, with reference to the G\ corrugatus of Pennant ; 

 to which, however, it has but little resemblance when compared*. 



* Cancer corrugatus appears to be extremely rare; it has once or twice occurred, so 

 that I can with certainty declare it to be not only distinct from this, but also from 

 C. velutinus. with which it is most likely to be confounded. 



l na\ e 



