FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 81, NO. 4 



FIGURE 7.—l'anopeus obesus. Male fron coast of Mis- 

 sissippi (USNM 873871; a, Carapace in dorsal view; b. 

 Major chela in frontal view, teeth of fixed finger worn; 10 

 mm indicated. 



Panopeus Herbstii obesus (variety). — A Milne 



Edwards 1880:309. 

 Panopeus herbstii forma obesa. — Rathbun 1930:335, 



pi. 156, fig. 3. 

 Paneopeus herbstii forma obesa. — Behre 1950:24 



(list). 

 Panopeus herbstii forma obessa Heard 1982:50, fig. 



56a-c. 



Material examined. — YPM 901. Lectotype F; Egmont 

 Key, Fla.; col. E. Jewett. 



Specimen lots in USNM recorded by Rathbun 

 (1930) under P. herbstii (catalog numbers only) plus 

 material added since that time. 



North Carolina: 191155. 1M, IF; sea wall near 

 Pivers I., Beaufort, Carteret Co.; J. B. Sullivan and 

 W. Kirby-Smith, 22 March 1978.— 191156. 1M; 

 Pivers I., Beaufort; J. B. Sullivan, 8 April 1978.— 

 191157. 1M; Pivers I., Beaufort; J. B. Sullivan, 10 

 May 1978.— 191158. 2M; Pivers I., Beaufort; J. B. 

 Sullivan, 10 July 1978.— 75243. 2M, IF; Bogue 

 Sound, Morehead City; Shoemaker and Bell, 3 Sep- 

 tember 1934. 



South Carolina: 15784, 5701 1. 



Georgia: 89063. 1M; Georgia coast; State Game 

 and Fish Comm. 1948? 



Florida: 15417, 15421, 15742, 15768, 39122, 

 42849, 56379, 57846, 59840.— 72840. 2M; Lemon 

 Bay, Englewood; S. Springer, January 1936. — 

 72841. 2F; Lemon Bay, Englewood; S. Springer. — 

 72851. 8M, IF; Lemon Bay, Englewood; S. 

 Springer. — 78379. 2M, 2F (ovig.); near Sarasota; 

 Bass Biol. Lab., 17 May 1938.— 173113. 2M; Sope 

 Hoppy, FSU Marine Lab.; B. Hazlett, June 1978.- 

 81368. 1M; Pensacola Beach; R. O. Christianson, 16 

 October 1939. 



Mississippi: 87387. 1M; Gulf Coast Research 

 Lab. [?]; J. F. Walker, summer 1948. 



Louisiana: 2256, 56839.— 64150. 1M; Grand 

 Pass, Lake Borgne; S. Springer.— 75647. 1M, 2F ( 1 

 ovig.); E and Grand Terre Is.; in heavy mangrove 

 roots; E. H. Behre. 



Diagnosis. — Carapace noticeably arched dorsally, 

 with few if any transverse lines of granules, coarse 

 granules on ocular and hepatic regions and along 

 anterolateral slopes, length 5 9. 3-75. 5% width,* 70.1. 

 Coalesced first and second anterolateral teeth of car- 

 apace usually separated by shallow rounded notch, 

 second tooth broader than and sometimes more pro- 

 minent than first; remaining teeth usually rounded, 

 not outstanding (but variable in this respect), fifth 

 tooth shorter than fourth; arc drawn along tips of first 

 4 teeth converging laterally with arc drawn along 

 bases of notches between teeth. Chelipeds micro- 

 scopically granular over most of surface (often in 

 obsolescent rugose pattern) but bearing distinctly 



coarser, closely crowded granules along anterior 

 edge of carpus and on upper and outer surface of 

 palm; distinct reticulate pattern of color on outer sur- 

 face of palm usually continued over its lower half 

 (may be faded but evident after long preservation). 

 Major chela with teeth on fixed finger varied in size, 

 one or more distal to level of basal tooth on dactyl 



enlarged, with cusps raised above straight line drawn 

 between angle at juncture of finger with anterior 

 margin of palm and tip of finger (= length of fixed 

 finger); cusps of teeth on fixed finger rather well 

 separated, not broad, seldom worn, their external 

 faces not flared or bowed outward but aligned along 

 axis of finger. 



874 



