Known range— -Off Beaufort, N.C., to Yucatan; 

 through West Indies to Bahia, Brazil ; Bermuda. 



Remarks. — This species has been taken from 

 offshore reefs in North Carolina at depths of 7 

 to 8 fathoms (Pearse and Williams, 1951), and 

 from sponges at depths of 16 to 20 fathoms. Wass 

 (1955) remarked that the species seems less de- 

 pendent on sponges than other members of the 

 genus taken in the Alligator Harbor area of 

 Florida. 



Ovigerous females have been taken from the 

 Carolinas in February and August; Obregon, 

 Mexico, in July and August; and Venezuela in 

 September. 



Synalpheus longicarpus (Herrick) 

 Figure 59 



Alpheua saulcyi var. longicarpus Herrick [in part], 1892, p. 

 383. 



Synalpheus longicarpus: Hay and Shore, 1918, p. 383. text-fig. 

 6 ; pi. 26, fig. 2 (rev.). — Verrill, 1922, p. 113, pi. 25, figs, la-lh ; 

 pi. 34, figs. 3, 3c ; pi. 36, figs. 5, 5a (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Rostrum carinate, 

 slender, and slightly longer than triangular, ob- 

 tuse orbital hoods, reaching about to middle of 

 basal antennular article; space between rostrum 

 and hoods U-shaped, broadest in females. Eyes 

 small, completely covered. Basal article of an- 

 tennular peduncle with short stylocerite reaching 

 to distal third of article; second article one-third 

 longer than third article; inner flagellum filiform, 

 outer branching at seventh joint, thickened prox- 

 imally. Terminal article of antennal peduncle 

 exceeding antennular peduncle; antennal scale 

 with strong terminal spine separated from and 

 exceeding rudimentary lamella distally; spine 

 variable in length, often exceeding antennular 

 peduncle by half length of distal article; lamella 

 of scale rudimentary in males, small and variable 

 in females ; basicerite slender, acute, with an angle 

 but no accessory spine above, tip reaching to end 

 of second article of antennular peduncle. 



First legs chelate, very unequal. Large chela 

 elongate, somewhat ovate, about 2.75 times longer 

 than broad; margins somewhat convex; posterior 

 end swelled and produced backward beyond ar- 

 ticulation with small, short carpus inserted below 

 central axis of palm; anterior dorsal margin of 

 palm with small, acute spine near base of dactyl; 

 dactyl somewhat oblique at end, toothed at base, 



about one-fourth to one-fifth length of chela. 

 Small chela elongate, about one-third length of 

 larger; dactyl elongate, gently arched dorsally, a 

 dense tuft of erect hairs on dorsal surface along 

 most of length, cutting edge nearly straight with 

 two apical teeth; immovable finger with three 

 teeth, apical one stronger. Second pair of legs 

 slender, weakly chelate; stronger in male than in 

 female; carpus subdivided, first joint shorter than 



Figure 59. — Synalpheus longicarpus (Herrick). Anterior 

 part of body in dorsal view, A, male, B, female ; C, large 

 chela ; D, small first cheliped, male ; E, same, female ; 

 F, fingers of small first cheliped ; G, second leg of male 

 showing subdivided carpus ; H, same, female ; I, dactyl 

 of third leg; J, same in large adult; K, telson and left 

 uropods in dorsal view, female; L, tip of telson (after 

 Coutiere, 1909). 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 



73 



