Figure 118. — Dromidia antillensis Stimpson. Male in 

 dorsal view, legs of left side not shown, 10 mm. indi- 

 cated. 



Color. — Quite variable. General ground color 

 dirty yellowish green, olive buff, white, coral-mud 

 gray, orange buff or various shades of red with 

 lighter pubescence; fingers with bases darker than 

 white tips, shades of orange, pink, or red ; cornea 

 of eyes gray, hazel, reddish speckled or brown; 

 some specimens with bluish cast on maxillipeds 

 and antennular peduncles. Rathbun (1937) gave 

 great detail on a number of individuals which ap- 

 peared to vary from light to dark in a harmoni- 

 ous set of colors. 



Habitat. — Shore to 170 fathoms. 



Type localities. — St. Thomas, V.I., Key Bis- 

 cayne and Tortugas, Fla. 



Known range. — Off Cape Hatteras, N.C., 

 through Gulf of Mexico and West Indies, to State 

 of Bahia, Brazil ; Bermuda. 



Remarks. — This species is usually found carry- 

 ing a covering of compound ascidians, sponge, or 

 zoanthoid polyps. The species is primarily south- 

 ern in distribution, the North Carolina records 

 representing marginal occurrence in a favorable 

 northern locality. Hildebrand (1955) found il 



common on the Campeche Banks shrimping 

 grounds. 



Rathbun (1937) reported ovigerous females 

 from Florida and the West Indies in winter, 

 spring, and summer. 



Genus Hypoconcha Guerin, 1854 



Rathbun. 1937, p. 44. 



KEY TO SPECIES IN THE CAROLINAS 



a. Anterior margin of carapace without spines 



arouata (p. 144). 



aa. Anterior margin of carapace with several strong 



spines sabulosa (p. 145). 



Hypoconcha arcuata Stimpson 



Figure 119 



Hypoconcha arcuata Stimpson, 1858, p. 226. — Hay and Shore, 

 1918, p. 418, pi. 31, fig. 2.— Rathbun, 1937, p. 47, pi. 11, figs. 1-4. 



Recognition characters. — Body short, broad, 

 flattened, with a thin, parchmentlike covering 

 dorsally, solid and roughly granulate ventrally. 

 Appendages capable of being folded compactly 

 against body. Front margin of carapace nearly 

 semicircular in outline, margin densely ciliated, 

 deeply fissured in middle and with a shallow 

 notch on each side near middle. Ventral surface 

 without ridges, sloping evenly to anterior margin, 

 and with eyes, antennules, antennae, and mouth 

 parts deeply seated in depressions; a narrow fis- 

 sure in front of eye for lodgment of antennal 

 nagellum; outer posterior margin of orbit fis- 

 sured. Third maxillipeds completely closing buc- 

 cal cavity. 



Figure 119. — Hypoconcha arcuata Stimpson. Anterior 

 portion of animal in ventral view, 3 mm. indicated. 



144 



FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



