Remarks. — At the time of Hay and Shore's ac- 

 count, it was apparent that C. septemspinosa, with 

 northern rather than southern affinities, fluctuates 

 in abundance seasonally in estuaries near Beau- 

 fort, N.C. Ovigerous females have been found in 

 North Carolina from December through May and 

 in August and late fall (Hay and Shore, 1918, 

 in part). Individuals taken in winter are larger 

 than those found in spring. Juveniles have been 

 found in this region from December to July, but 

 from midsummer to late fall juveniles and adults 

 disappear from estuaries. 



Bigelow and Sears (1939) reported much the 

 same pattern of occurrence in waters of the Con- 

 tinental Shelf from Cape Cod to Chesapeake 

 Bay, with greatest occurrence in February dwin- 

 dling to rare occurrence in July, but never abun- 

 dant anywhere. They found the species limited, 

 probably by depth and not by distance from shore, 

 at about the 27- fathom curve, and remarked on 

 probable importance of the species in the diet of 

 predatory fishes. The role of the species in diets 

 of fishes has long been recognized (Whitley, 

 1948). 



On Georges Bank, where Whitley (1948) made 

 all collections inside the 100-fathom curve, C. 

 septemspinosa was most common in September 

 and January, rarest in June, and usually occurred 

 near the bottom. He reported maximum numbers 

 in July at Woods Hole, and in August in the Bay 

 of Fundy. Ovigerous females were found in 

 spring and early summer. The species was judged 

 to produce one brood a year and to have a life 

 span of 1 year. 



Price (1962) , studying the biology of C. septem- 

 spinosa in Delaware Bay, made collections in a 

 salinity range of 4.4 to 31.4 °/ 00 at temperature 

 extremes of 0.0° to 26.0° C. Growth rate was esti- 

 mated to be 1.6 mm. per month, with no observed 

 seasonal variation in rate. The major breeding 

 season was judged to be March to October, but 

 ovigerous females were found throughout the 

 year in salinities of 17.7 to 29.3% , and tempera- 

 tures of 0.0° to 25.0° C. First egg bearers of 

 the year were found to be large females, with 

 smaller ovigerous females more numerous in July. 

 Females outnumbered the males, especially during 

 the most active spawning season. At 21° O, eggs 

 hatched after 6 or 7 days in the laboratory. 



Contrary to the appraisal of other authors, Price 

 judged that 3 year classes of females and 2 year 

 classes of males occur in the shoal waters of Dela- 

 ware Bay in spring. Food studies indicated a diet 

 of planktonic Crustacea and scavenged material. 

 Sanders, Goudsmit, Mills, and Hampson (1962) 

 found a diet of small bottom plants and animals. 



Fish (1925) found the larvae appearing from 

 February to May and as late as December at 

 Woods Hole. Needier (1941) recorded hatching 

 times from late spring to early summer (July) 

 around Prince Edward Island, Canada. She de- 

 scribed five larval stages and a postlarval stage. 

 All these stages were obtained in July from 

 plankton tows made about a meter below the sur- 

 face along the shores of estuaries. Larvae were 

 hatched in the laboratory, but the series of stages 

 was worked out from plankton. 



These data indicate an extended breeding sea- 

 son in high latitudes. Variations in seasonal 

 abundance in different localities north of Chesa- 

 peake Bay are possibly the result in part of varied 

 sampling methods in different years by different 

 investigators. 



Work on color control of Crangon and related 

 species, too involved for appropriate summary 

 here, has been reviewed by Kleinholz (1961). 



Suborder Reptantia 



Usually lobsterlike or crablike in form. Cepha- 

 lothorax usually depressed. Kostrum usually small 

 or absent, depressed if present. Antennules with- 

 out stylocerite. Legs strong, first pair usually, but 

 others never, stronger than remainder. Abdomen, 

 whether well developed or greatly reduced, more 

 or less depressed with first segment distinctly 

 smaller than rest ; pleopods often reduced or ab- 

 sent. 



Section Macrura 



Abdomen straight, symmetrical; usually well 

 armored, with well-developed pleura and a strong 

 tail fan (Schmitt, 1921). 



Superfamily Scyllaridea 



First article of antennule fused with epistome. 

 Antenna] scale absent. All legs nearly equal in 

 length and none chelate except subchelate last 

 pair in females. First abdominal segment without 



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