Figure 145. — Portunus anceps (Saussure). Male in dor- 

 sal view, legs of left side not shown, 5 mm. indicated. 



CoZor.— Mottled gray and yellowish white so as 

 to imitate sand; first pair of legs red or yellow; 

 chelipeds and other legs same color in part (Ver- 

 rill, 1908). Hairs on legs colorless (Abramowitz, 

 1935). 



Habitat. — This form lives on or near sandy 

 shores in tropical waters, but is sometimes carried 

 northward in the Gulf Stream to the North Caro- 

 lina capes; surface to 40 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Cuba. 



Known range. — Cape Hatteras, N.C., to Brazil ; 

 Bermuda. 



Remarks. — Rathbun (1930a) recorded ovige- 

 rous females from June in Cuba to October in 

 North Carolina. 



Portunus gibbesii (Stirapson) 



Figure 146 



Lupa gibbesii Stlmpson, 1S59, p. 57. 



Portunus gibbesii: Hay and Shore, 1918, p. 428, pi. 33, fig. 1. — 

 Rathbun, 1930a, p. 49, pis. 16-17 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace approxi- 

 mately twice as wide as long, not tumid, thickly 

 covered with small spherical granules, pubescent, 

 and with three or four naked, transverse ridges, 

 two of which arise from lateral spines and run 

 toward gastric region. Eight frontal teeth includ- 

 ing two points of each inner orbital, median pair 

 of frontal teeth narrower and slightly more ad- 

 vanced than next pair. External orbital tooth not 

 much larger than teeth of anterolateral border, 

 these latter stout, acute, directed forward; last 

 tooth, or lateral spine, slender, sharp, curved for- 

 ward and about as long as space occupied by three 



preceding teeth. One or more small, naked, irides- 

 cent areas near anterolateral margin at base of 

 teeth. 



Chelipeds long, slender; merus with five to 

 seven spines in front, and one behind at distal 

 end; carpus with a large internal and a smaller 

 external spine; hand slender, ribbed on all sur- 

 faces ; ribs continued on fingers and roughened by 

 sharp-pointed, appressed tubercles; hand with 

 two spines, one at articulation with carpus, an- 

 other near distal end of superior rib; fingers 

 nearly straight with incurved tips. 



Measurements.— Carapace : male, length, 29 

 mm.; width, 61 mm. 



Color. — Brownish red, transverse ridges on 

 carapace, spines, and margins of chelipeds car- 

 mine red ; front side of legs brilliantly iridescent 

 by lantern light, iridescence evident to some ex- 

 tent in preserved material. 



Habitat. — The species is fairly common about 

 the Beaufort, N.C., region and is often taken in 

 deeper channels of the harbor. Along with P. 

 spinimanus. Hildebrand (1955) reported this spe- 

 cies as common on the shrimping grounds on 

 Campeche Bank in the Gulf of Mexico, but rare 

 on the Texas coast, Surface to 48 fathoms, rarely 

 deeper. 



Type locality—South Carolina and St. Augus- 

 tine, Fla. 



Known range.— Southern Massachusetts to 

 Texas; Venezuela; Surinam. 



Figure 146. — Portunus gibbesii (Stimpson). Male in 

 dorsal view, legs of left side not shown, 10 mm. 

 indicated. 



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