Recognition characters. — Carapace 1.14 to 1.42 

 times broader than long, varying from smaller to 

 larger ratio with increasing size; surface granu- 

 lar, less conspicuously so in posterior half, tuber- 

 culate anteriorly, becoming obsolescent in adults; 

 branchiocardiac grooves distinct. Front deeply 

 notched anteriorly, projecting somewhat beyond 

 orbits; anterolateral borders together forming a 

 semicircle in younger specimens, less strongly 

 arched in adults. Posterolateral winglike expan- 

 sions of carapace distinct, consisting of five broad 

 teeth with beaded edges, second and third witli 

 sharp but not pointed apices, fifth tooth with 

 notch on inner basal part. 



Chelipeds with outer surface of palm divided 

 into three horizontal zones: a lower one with 

 many large granules; a second zone, slightly 

 sunken, with no large granules but with scattered 

 small ones, more in males than females; a third 

 zone occupying whole upper half of outer surface 

 of palm, separated from second zone by a row of 

 small granules, bearing many small granules, and 

 some large low granular tubercles, more densely 

 granulated than second zone in females, same in 

 both in males. Upper margin of large hand with 

 about seven teeth, six on small hand ; proximal 

 teeth broad, low, and bifurcated. Palm with 

 strong tooth on outer lower surface near carpus, 

 apex of tooth approximately rectangular with a 

 sharp tip. Fingers of crushing hand somewhat 

 stouter than on cutting hand, and with prominent 

 projecting lobule near base of each. Merus with 

 strong four-toothed crest parallel with outer dis- 

 tal border. 



Male with abdomen narrow; third to fifth seg- 

 ments fused, fifth segment with basal width twice 

 median length, sixth with width greater than 

 length, seventh with length about 1.5 times width. 

 Female with a few granulations near lateral bor- 

 der of fourth segment; length of seventh segment 

 equal to or slightly greater than width. 



Measurements. — Carapace: male, length, 99 

 mm., width, 136 mm. ; female, length, 106 mm., 

 width, 135 mm. 



Color. — Ground color of carapace gray behind, 

 shading to drab mottled with white over greater 

 portion; reddish blue on outer surface of cheli- 

 peds becoming almost white on lower half of palm 

 and on fingers ; inner surface of cheli peds, ptery- 

 gostomian regions, anterior surface of first walk- 



ing legs, and a small part of second walking legs 

 reddish hued. Carapace with color pattern varia- 

 ble, purplish brown in interlacing bands on ante- 

 rior half, obliquely longitudinal stripes on pos- 

 terior half becoming lighter posteriorly. Merus, 

 carpus, and proximal upper portion of palm 

 striped with purplish brown, two distinct round 

 spots of same color in middle of palm ; upper half 

 of palm with spots and patches of sulphur yellow 

 on teeth and tubercles and same color mixed with 

 ground color of merus, carpus, and part of cara- 

 pace; two or three orange spots on hands near 

 base of dactyls and spots of same near articulation 

 of palm and carpus. Third to fifth legs, and un- 

 derparts whitish. (Adapted from R. L. Barney 

 in Rathbun, 1937.) 



Habitat. — This strikingly colored crab does not 

 often occur within the harbor at Beaufort, N.C., 

 but is often brought up from a few fathoms out- 

 side the inlet. Those obtained inside are usually 

 small. Hildebrand (1955) listed the species as 

 common from 6 to 16 fathoms on the Campeche 

 Banks. The species may spend much time buried 

 in sand (Pearse, Humm, and Wharton, 1942). 



Habitat. — Surface to 40 fathoms, rarely to 125 

 fathoms. 



Type locality. — America. 



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

 Keys; Gulf coast of United States and Mexico; 

 Bahamas; Bermuda. 



Remarks. — This species has a fossil record in 

 North America dating from the Oligocene (Rath- 

 bun, 1930b). 



The breeding range of the species extends as 

 far northward as Cape Hatteras, but in the larval 

 stages it often drifts as far to the north as south- 

 ern New England. Some of these larvae are sup- 

 posed now and then to survive a mild winter and 

 develop by the next summer into the small speci- 

 mens which have at rare intervals been taken on 

 the coast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 

 Some of the larval stages have been figured by 

 Lebour (1944). Smith (1880b) gave a descrip- 

 tion of the megalops stage of this species. 



Calappa ocellata Holthuis 



Figures 132-133 

 Holthuis, 1958, p. 158, figs. 36-10 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace slightly 

 narrower than in C. fl,ammea, having width to 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 



153 



