Remarks. — Ovigerous females have been re- 

 ported and are otherwise known to occur in the 

 months February to June from North Carolina 

 to Surinam (Holthuis, 1959; Kathbun, 1930a). 



Gray (1957) computed gill area per unit weight 

 for P. gibbesii as intermediate among a number 

 of swimming crabs studied. 



Portunus spinimanus Latreille 



Figure 147 



Portunus spinimanus Latreille, 1819, p. 47. — Hay and Shore, 

 1918, p. 429, pi. 33, fig. 4. — Rathbun, 1930a, p. 62, text-fig. 10, 

 pis. 26-28 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace considera- 

 bly less than twice as wide as long, finely granu- 

 late and pubescent, with a number of prominent, 

 curved, coarsely granulate, transverse ridges. 

 Eight frontal teeth, including inner orbitals, each 

 notched at summit and presenting two points; 

 median pair of teeth slightly narrower and more 

 advanced than next pair, all considerably more 

 advanced than inner orbitals. Outer orbital teeth 

 obtuse, not much larger than teeth of anterolat- 

 eral borders, these latter strong, acute, or acumi- 

 nate, about equal in size except last; this tooth 

 about twice as large as others and usually curved 

 forward. 



Chelipeds long, pubescent, serratogranulate all 

 over; merus with four, occasionally five, strong, 

 curved spines in front and one at distal end ; car- 

 pus with two spines, inner one much stronger, 

 and with four conspicuous ridges on upper sur- 

 face ; hand slender, all surfaces with ridges which 

 extend on fingers ; a strong spine at carpal articu- 

 lation and another near base of dactyl; fingers 

 nearly straight, tips incurved. 



Measurements. — Carapace: female, length, 55 

 mm.; width, 88 mm. 



Variations. — Large males have relatively 

 longer, thinner chelipeds and longer walking legs 

 than large females. 



Color. — Pubescence yellowish or reddish brown, 

 ridges of carapace, spines of chelipeds, fingers 

 and tips of legs reddish brown; anterolateral 

 teeth reddish at base, white at tips; merus, carpus, 

 and hand of chelipeds with white blotches. 



Habitat. — This species is common in the waters 

 off Beaufort Inlet, N.C., and is sometimes found 

 in deeper channels of the harbor. P. gibbesii is 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 

 763-049 O— 65 12 



Figure 147. — Portunus spinimanus Latreille. Male in 

 dorsal view, legs of left side not shown, 20 mm. 

 indicated. 



often found in company with P. spinimanus. A 

 similar association of these two species was re- 

 ported by Hildebrand (1955) for the Campeche 

 Banks in the Gulf of Mexico where they are com- 

 mon. On beach under Sargassum; surface to 50 

 fathoms. 



Type locality. — American waters, common in 

 Brazil. 



Knoion range. — New Jersey through Gulf of 

 Mexico and West Indies to southern Brazil ; Ber- 

 muda. 



Remarks. — This species, which somewhat re- 

 sembles P. gibbesii, can be readily distinguished 

 from the latter by its narrower, rounder form, and 

 by the entire lack of iridescent patches on the 

 carapace mentioned for P. gibbesii. 



Ovigerous females are known from January to 

 July in Florida (Wass, 1955, in part) ; March in 

 Campeche ; April in Isle of Pines ; May, August, 

 and September in Surinam (Holthuis, 1959) ; and 

 July in St. Thomas, V.I. (Rathbun, 1930a). Le- 

 bour (1950) found an ovigerous female among 

 Sargassum in Bermuda in May, and from the 

 eggs reared larvae which she illustrated. 



Gray (1957) computed gill area per unit weight 

 for P. spinimanus as intermediate among a num- 

 ber of swimming crabs studied. 



165 



