Habitat. — Low tide to 125 fathoms. 

 Type locality. — Barbados. 

 Known range. — Off Beaufort, N.C., to 

 Florida ; West Indies to Barbados. 



west 



Subfamily Philyrinae 



Carapace almost hemispherical, surface only 

 slightly uneven. So-called frontal teeth often be- 

 ing well-developed inner-orbital angles. A me- 

 dian frontal tooth often present. Infraorbital lobe 

 seldom well developed, roof of efferent branchial 

 channel usually reaching same level. Epistome 

 usually reduced. Margins of mouth and ptery- 

 gostomian region in same transverse plane. Merus 

 of external maxillipeds half or more than half 

 length of ischium measured along inner border. 

 First abdominal segment in female often under 

 carapace (Rathbun, 1937). 



Genus Persephona Leach, 1817 



Rathbun, 1937, p. 151.— Hemming, 1958b, p. 18. 



Persephona punctata aquilonaris Rathbun. Purse crab 



Figure 127 



Persephona punctata Stimpson, 1859 (in part), p. 70. — Hay 

 and Shore, 1918 (ill part), p. 423, pi. 32, fig. 9. 



Persephona punctata aquilonaris Rathbun, 1937, p. 154, pi. 42, 

 figs. 6-7 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace globular, 

 thickly strewn dorsally and laterally with gran- 

 ules of various sizes, and with three sharp, re- 

 curved spines, one at each end of posterior margin 

 and one median just above posterior margin. 

 Front narrow, broadly bidentate, produced and 

 elevated, and with dentiform angles of branchial 

 channels projecting slightly beyond it. Anterior 

 and lateral regions bounded externally by a row 

 of beadlike granules broken anteriorly by a single 

 tubercle of larger size, and posteriorly extending 

 to a point nearly opposite termination of posterior 

 margin. 



Chelipeds subcylindrical in adult male, ap- 

 proximately 1.5 times as long as carapace; merus 

 with many large tubercles; carpus and chela 

 nearly smooth except on margins; chela somewhat 

 Hat .iiid dilated; fingers weak. 



Measurement*. — Male: length of carapace to 

 tip of posterior spine, 48 mm.: to base of spine, 

 15 mm. : width, 42 mm. 



Color. — Gray to grayish brown, with darker 

 brownish irregular spots or marniorat ions: gran- 

 ules white or tinged with red. 



Figure 127. — Persephona punctata aquilonaris Rathbun. 

 Animal in dorsal view, detail of left side shown, 5 mm. 

 indicated. 



Habitat. — This crab is sometimes taken in otter 

 trawls but usually by dredging in shelly mud in 

 relatively shallow water in the ocean; 2 to 30 

 fathoms. 



Type locality. — St. Augustine, Fla. 



Known range. — Xew Jersey to Campeche, Mex- 

 ico ( Hildebrand, 1954, in part ) . 



Remarks. — The species is fairly abundant in 

 colonies. The purselike receptacle formed by the 

 enormously enlarged penultimate segment of the 

 abdomen in the female may be found filled with 

 eggs at almost any time during spring and sum- 

 mer. 



Genus Iliacantha Stimpson, 1871 



Rathbun. 1937, p. 183. 



KEY TO SPECIES IN THE CAROLINAS 



a. Fingers longer than palm of hand-subatobosa (p. 150). 

 aa. Fingers about half as long as palm of hand 



intermedia (p. 151). 



Iliacantha subglobosa Stimpson 

 Figure 128 

 Iliacantha subglohosa Stimpson, 1871a, p. 155. — Hay and 

 Shore. 1918, p. 424. pi. 32, fig. 2. — Rathbun, 1937. p. 185, pi. 53, 

 figs. 1-2 (rev.). 



150 



FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



