Legs all stout, hairy, and coarsely granulate. 

 First pair chelate ; fingers somewhat spatulate and 

 toothed at tip, immovable finger articulated at 

 angle with hand. Second and third legs with 

 sharp, corneous tips; fourth and fifth legs borne 

 on dorsal surface, with penultimate article quite 

 short, and terminal article reduced to a small, 

 curved claw. Abdomen short and flexed so that 

 last two segments lie on thoracic sterna. 



Measurements. — Carapace of male: length, 24 

 mm. ; width, 24 mm. 



Color. — Gray. 



Habitat. — This curious crab has been taken 

 from dredge hauls in Bogue Sound off Morehead 

 City, N.C. It is always found occupying a valve 

 of some lamellibranch shell, preferably a clam- 

 shell, which it carries about upon its back after the 

 manner of a hermit crab. By means of the claws 

 on its fourth and fifth pairs of legs, perhaps aided 

 by pressure of its body against the shell, it clings 

 so tightly that removing it from the shell without 

 crushing it is almost impossible. Shallow water 

 to 22 fathoms. 



Type localities. — South Carolina sandy shores, 

 and St. Thomas, [V.I.]. 



Known range.— OR Cape Lookout, N.C, to west 

 Florida; St. Thomas, V.I. ; Surinam to State of 

 Espirito Santo, Brazil. 



Hypoconcha sabulosa (Herbst) 



Figure 120 



Cancer sabulosa Herbst. 1799, p. 57, pi. 48, figs. 2-3. 



Hypoconcha sabulosa: Hay and Shore, 1918, p. 418, pi. 31, 

 fig. 3. — Rathbun, 1937, p. 44, pi. 8, figs. 3-4, pi. 9, figs. 1-5 

 (rev.). 



Recognition characters.— Body short, broad, 

 flattened, with front and lateral margin expanded, 

 with thin parchmentlike covering dorsally, solid 

 with surface nodulose, granulate, and marked by 

 several strong ridges ventrally. Carapace in old 

 individuals pubescent above; margin densely 

 hairy, and armed anteriorly with four curved 

 spines with sharp tips pointing obliquely down- 

 ward followed by a few other smaller spines; 

 front between median pair of spines subtruncate 

 or sloping slightly backward toward short, nar- 

 row, median fissure. Antennal fossae limited in 

 front by a pair of strong, oblique ridges arising 

 between two of spines of anterior border, meeting 

 each other in midline in front of epistome; epi- 

 stome with posterior border raised into a promi- 



Figuke 120. — Hypoconcha sabulosa (Herbst). Anterior 

 portion of animal in ventral view, detail of right side 

 shown, 5 mm. indicated. 



nent ridge continuing on either side across front 

 and some distance along sides of buccal area. 

 Basal articles of antennae tuberculate; proximal 

 article with a strong inwardly directed tooth, 

 distal article with a tooth on each side of base of 

 flagellum. Fissure in outer margin of orbit promi- 

 nent owing to development of a strong tubercle 

 on either side. 



Carpal article of first pair of legs with several 

 dentate tubercles ; hand covered with more or less 

 pointed tubercles. Other legs and abdomen much 

 as in H. arcuata. 



Measurements. — Carapace of female: length, 

 22 mm. ; width, 22 mm. 



Color. — Gray; or, as described by Schmitt in 

 Kathbun (1937), coral sand above with whitish- 

 gray hairs, ground color beneath, red; rounded 

 bosses on legs and subf rontal region reddish 

 brown ; eyes black or reddish brown ; eggs orange. 



Habitat. — A few feet to 49 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Listed as "Africa" (probably 

 an error). 



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

 Sabine, Tex. ; Jamaica. 



Remarks. — This species has been found in Beau- 

 fort, N.C, harbor, and, though it apparently has 

 habits similar to those of H. arcuata, it is much the 

 rarer of the two species. Rathbun (1937) listed 

 ovigerous females in June from Florida and in 

 October from North Carolina. 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 



145 



