Recognition characters. — Front of carapace 

 with three teeth each in form of equilateral tri- 

 angle; rostrum usually a little wider at base, 

 compressed and sometimes slightly longer than 

 orbital teeth. Eyes completely covered by large 

 orbital hoods. Basal article of antennular pe- 

 duncle with stylocerite reaching to distal third 

 of second article; third article half length of 

 second; second of intermediate length; inner 

 flagellum filiform, outer flagellum thickened 

 proximally. Antennal scale narrow, inner edge 

 regularly curved; lateral spine a little longer than 

 antennular peduncle, separated from and exceed- 



Figure 57. — Synalpheus minus (Say). A, anterior part 

 of body in dorsal view, with appendages of right side; 

 B, large chela ; C, small first cheliped ; D, second leg 

 showing subdivided carpus ; E, dactyl of third leg ; F, 

 telson in dorsal view (after Coutiere, 1909). 



ing lamella; basicerite reaching to distal end of 

 basal antennular article, above it a prominent 

 secondary spine. 



First legs chelate, unequal, thicker in male 

 than in female. Large chela ovoid; palm about 

 2.5 times length of fingers, anterior dorsal margin 

 with a strong, sharp tooth at inner side and a 

 blunter tooth on lateral and ventral side near 

 base of dactyl ; dactyl broad, larger than immov- 

 able finger, tip obtuse, cutting edge a little 

 sinuous, a large tooth at base, dorsal edge curved 

 distally; immovable finger with tip nearly 

 straight, inner edge a little sinuous. Smaller chela 

 elongate, slender, about one-third length of larger; 

 fingers a little shorter than palm, with tufts of 

 hair, acute at tips and curved a little downward ; 

 palm narrowly elliptical, surface plain. Second 

 legs slender, weakly chelate; carpus subdivided 

 with joints diminishing as follows (numbered 

 from proximal end) : 1, 5, 2-3^1. 



Telson with sides slightly sinuous, tip broadly 

 rounded ; two pairs of dorsal spines, first pair at 

 about midlength, second pair at about three- 

 fourths length; distal margin with a pair of 

 spines at each posterolateral corner. Uropodal 

 exopods with lateral margin ending in notch 

 armed with two spines separated by a longer 

 movable spine. 



Measurements. — Length of body: female, 35 

 mm. 



Color. — Body translucent, yellowish white; 

 large chela white or translucent gray, fingers 

 orange, tips red ; banded near base of fingers with 

 white in female, white tipped with green in male. 



Habitat. — Lives in dead corals and commensally 

 in sponges; shallow water to 37 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Southern [United] States. 



Known range. — Near Cape Hatteras, ' N.C., 

 through West Indies to Alagoas, Brazil ; Bermuda. 



Remarks. — A number of authors, among them 

 Hay and Shore (1918) and Verrill (1922), have 

 pointed out that Brooks and Herrick (1892) er- 

 roneously called Alphews norrrwrwd (=pacJoardii) 

 by the name A. minus in their profusely illus- 

 trated monograph. The true Synalpheus minus 

 was not treated by them, however, and, at least in 

 the Beaufort, N.C., area, was not available to them 

 in the harbor area studied. 



A long breeding season is indicated for this 

 species. Ovigerous females have been taken from 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLTNAS 



71 



