tide mark in burrows partially filled with water, 

 among stones at the high-tide mark, in burrows in 

 sand, under stones between tides, and on coral 

 reefs (Rathbun, 1930a). High-tide mark to shal- 

 low depths near shore. 



Type locality. — "Inhabits shores of the North- 

 ern States." 



Known range. — Modern records, South Caro- 

 lina to State of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Bermuda. 

 Formerly reported from New Jersey (Ryan, 

 1956). 



Remarks. — This species has a fossil record in 

 North America dating from the Miocene of North 

 Carolina and Florida (Rathbun, 1935). 



Teal (1959) found this species active on Geor- 

 gia marshes when the tide was high or the sky 

 cloudy. When the marsh was exposed, it was 

 found in burrows, usually near the top, either in 

 air or water. Respiration rates in water were 

 higher than in air. The species showed internal 

 regulation of metabolism in that it was independ- 

 ent of oxygen tension but not of acclimation to 

 temperature. 



Ovigerous females have been reported from 

 Florida in August (Wass, 1955) . 



Family Goneplacidae 



Palp of external maxillipeds articulating at or 

 near anterointernal angle of merus; exognath nor- 

 mal in size, not concealed. Antennular septum a 

 thin plate. Division of orbit into two fossae us- 

 ually not indicated. Genital ducts of male usually 

 perforating base of last pair of legs, often passing 

 through a groove in sternum. 



This group has a general resemblance to the 

 Xanthidae in body shape. Members of the group 

 are all bottom dwellers. 



KEY TO GENERA AND SPECIES IN THE 

 CAROLINAS 



a. Base of third segment of male abdomen covering whole 

 space between last pair of legs ; carapace subquadrate, 

 widest between postorbital angles ; anterior border en- 

 tirely occupied by square-cut front, and orbits formed 



into long, narrow trenches Goneplax hirsuta (p. 201). 



aa. Base of third segment of male abdomen not covering 

 whole space between last pair of legs, 

 b. Frontoorbital width almost as great as total width 

 of carapace : eyestalks long : carapace subquadrate, 

 posterolateral margins converging 



Euryplax nitida (p. 202). 

 bb. Frontoorbital width from one-half to three-fourths 

 total width of carapace : eyestalks short ; anterolat- 

 eral margins arcuate 



Speocarcinus carolincnsis (p. 202). 



Genus Goneplax [Leach, 1814] 



Rathbun, 1918b, p. 25.— Hemming, 1958a, p. 32. 



Goneplax hirsuta Borradaile 



Figure 184 



Ooneplax hirsuta Borradaile, 1916, p. 99, fig. 11. — Rathbun, 

 1918b, p. 28, text-fig. 7 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace approxi- 

 mately two-thirds as long as broad, greatest width 

 between tips of postorbital spines; regions faintly 

 marked except for H-shaped depression in middle. 

 Sides converging backward from prominent, 

 sharp, postorbital spines ; armed with sharp spine 

 near postorbital spine. Front almost straight, with 

 low rostral prominence in broad, shallow median 

 notch. Orbital margin sinuous, sloping backward, 

 width of orbit and front nearly equal. 



Chelipeds almost equal ; merus about two-thirds 

 length of carapace, deep, with a spine a little be- 

 yond middle of upper edge ; carpus broader than 

 long, with a stout internal spine. Hand longer 

 than remainder of limb; fingers about equal to 

 palm, irregularly toothed, not gaping; external 

 base of hand and distal half of carpus with a 

 long dense tuft of hair, fringe of similar hairs 

 along inner side of merus. Walking legs slender, 

 meri smooth or fringed with light pubescence, dis- 

 tal articles fringed with hairs. 



Measurements. — Carapace: male, length, 19 

 mm. ; width, 29 mm. 



Habitat. — Forty to eighty fathoms. 



Figure 184. — Goneplax hirsuta Borradaile. A, animal in 

 dorsal view : B, right chela and carpus in outer view ; 

 approximately X 1.75 (after Borradaile, 1916). 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 



201 



