pleopods; tail fan divided into a soft membranous 

 and striated hinder part and a harder anterior 

 portion. 



Family Palinuridae 



Carapace subcylindrical. Eyes not enclosed in 

 separate orbits formed by edge of carapace. An- 

 tennae not flattened but furnished with large, 

 long, rather rigid, multiarticulate, usually spinose 

 flagellum. 



The fossil record for the family Palinuridae. 

 extends back to the Cretaceous in North America 

 (Rathbun, 1926, 1935). 



Genus Panulirus White, 1847 



White, 1847b, p. 69. — Hemming, 19581), p. 174. 



Panulirus argus (Latreille). Spiny lobster, crawfish 

 Figure 73 



Palinurus argus Latreille, 1804, p. 393. 



Panulirus argue: White, 1847b, p. 69.— Hay and Shore, 1918, 

 p. 398, pi. 28, fig. 3 (rev.). — Crawford and deSmidt, 1922, p. 291, 

 figs. 265-271.— Schmitt, 1935a, p. 172, fig. 36 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace covered 

 with strong spines arranged more or less in regular 

 longitudinal rows ; spines above orbits very large, 

 compressed, and curved upward and forward. 



Eyes large and prominent. Antennules nearly 

 two-thirds length of body; peduncles slightly 

 exceeding antennal peduncle; outer flagellum 

 shorter and thicker than inner, and strongly cili- 

 ated distally. Antennal segment with a pair of 

 spines in front, a weaker pair about halfway to 

 eye, a strong median spine and weaker lateral 

 spines below insertion of antennules. Antennae 

 very large, heavy, exceeding body by more than 

 length of carapace; peduncles with numerous 

 strong spines; flagellum stout, stiff, a line of cilia 

 along inner margin and ringed with spines at 

 intervals. 



Legs rather weak, tips acute and bristly ; female 

 possessing a small subchela on fifth legs with con- 

 cave opposed surfaces formed between distal por- 

 tion of propodus and proximal portion of dactyl. 



Abdomen smooth, each segment crossed by a 

 furrow more or less distinctly interrupted at mid- 

 dle; pleural angles each produced into a strong, 

 sharp, backwardly directed tooth deeply notched 

 and serrated on posterior margin. Pleopods ab- 

 sent from first segment of abdomen; exopod of 

 pleopods broad, laminate; endopods missing in 

 males, females with endopods of second pleopods 

 laminate, last three endopods bifurcated. Proxi- 



Fiqube 73. — Panulirus argus (Latreille). Female in lateral view, approximately X 0.5. 

 MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLLNAS 



91 



