Remarks. — Gurney (1943a) listed this species 

 as one of the commonest decapod crustaceans in 

 the littoral region of Bermuda. Females out- 

 numbered males two to one; however, ovigerous 

 females were never collected there. From plank- 

 ton, Gurney (1936c, 1943a) described the first and 

 fifth larval, and the first postlarval stages, and 

 gave remarks on allometric growth of the second 

 legs. These legs are stronger and longer in males 

 than in females, with fingers agape in old males. 

 The center of greatest growth is in the palm. 



Ovigerous females have been found from Jan- 

 uary to May and from September to November 

 in Florida, the West Indies, and South America. 



Holthuis (1951a) listed P. americcmus as com- 

 mon in North Carolina, but it has been taken 

 only once (August 5, 1958) in surface plankton 

 tows in Bogue Sound that have produced hun- 

 dreds of P. longicaudatus. 



Genus Periclimenaeus Borradaile, 1915 



Holthuis, 1951a, p. 76. — Hemming, 1958b, p. 159. 

 Periclimenaeus schmitti Holthuis 



Figure 37 

 Periclimenaeua schmitti Holthuis, 1951a, p. 90, pi. 27, figs. a-m. 



Recognition characters. — Rostrum short, 

 straight, or somewhat decurved, not reaching to 

 end of basal article of antennular peduncle; up- 

 per margin bearing one or two teeth, exclusive 

 of upturned tip; lower margin convex, unarmed. 

 Carapace smooth; postorbital ridge paralleling 

 orbit, extending from strong antennal spine dor- 

 sally and becoming gradually obsolete; antero- 

 lateral angle broadly rounded, produced forward. 

 Eyes well developed, cornea globular, shorter and 

 narrower than eyestalk. Basal article of antennu- 

 lar peduncle with short, broad, blunt tipped 

 stylocerite reaching about to middle of article; 

 outer margin with blunt angle at level of sty- 

 locerite tip, concave beyond angle, anterolateral 

 angle of article with rather large tooth; second 

 and third articles short ; upper antennular flagel- 

 lum with three fused joints, free part of short 

 ramus with one short joint. Antennal scale 

 broadly ovate; outer margin nearly straight, with 

 no terminal tooth. 



First leg with carpus and chela extending be- 

 yond antennal scale; chela slender, fingers two- 

 thirds length of palm, unarmed, carpus about as 



long as chela, slightly shorter than merus. Sec- 

 ond legs unequal, both reaching with chela and 

 part of carpus beyond antennal scale. Larger 

 second leg heavy, fingers slightly less than half 

 as long as palm, inwardly curved; upper margin 

 of dactyl broadly rounded, cutting edge finely 

 denticulate distally, with large rectangular- 

 shaped tooth fitting into pit on immovable finger 

 when closed; fixed finger with strong, narrow 

 tooth at inner margin of pit ; palm swollen, cov- 

 ered with a number of small scalelike tubercles; 

 carpus conical, about one-fourth length of palm; 

 merus about one-third length of palm, sometimes 

 with small tubercles at lower edge. Smaller second 

 leg with fingers straight, slightly shorter than 

 one-third length of palm; cutting edge of dactyl 

 denticulate throughout, that of fixed finger 

 straight ; tubercles on palm fewer than on opposite 

 member. Third leg with propodus and part of 



Figure 37. — Periclimenaeus schmitti Holthuis. A, an- 

 terior part of body in lateral view, X 17 ; B, antennule, 

 X 22.5; C, antenna, X 22.5; D, first leg, X 22.5; B, 

 chela of first leg, X 33.5 ; F, larger second leg, outside, 

 X 15 ; G, fingers of larger second leg, inside, X 15 ; H, 

 smaller second leg, X 15 ; I, third leg, X 15 ; J. dactyl 

 of third leg, X 56.5 (after Holthuis, 1951a). 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 



45 



