Color. — Pink with a few purplish spots on cara- 

 pace and rusty-brown marks on legs. Rathbun 

 (1937) described this species as looking like a 

 dead piece of coral overgrown with purplish and 

 greenish algae, with patches of red ones; chelae 

 with natural greenish cast; reticulations around 

 whitish areas of green hue; fingers dull white with 

 articulations pink; legs dirty white with greenish, 

 reddish, and whitish spots; eyes not distinguish- 

 able from rest of body; underparts dirty white, 

 abdomen greenish. 



Habitat, — One and one-half to 10 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Unknown. 



Known range. — Off Morehead City, N.C., to 

 southern Florida ; West Indies. 



Remarks. — This species is rare in the northern 

 part of its range and was most recently reported 

 by Pearse and Williams (1951) from reefs off 

 Beaufort Inlet, N.C. The species readily plays 

 dead when brought on deck. 



Speloeophorus pontifer (Stimpson) 



Figures 125-126 



Lithadia pontifera Stimpson, 1871b. p. 115. 



Speloeophorus pontifera: Hay and Shore, 1918, p. 425, pi. 32, 

 flg. 5. 



Speloeophorus pontifer: Rathbun, 1937, p. 144, pi. 39, figs. 1-3 

 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace angular, 

 roughly trefoil shaped, from one-third to one- 

 sixth wider than long; surface granulate, uneven. 

 Lateral margin of each side extended into a broad 

 wing projecting over bases of legs; anterolateral 

 margins concave, with notch near middle; pos- 

 terolateral margins broad, with a deep rounded 

 cavity to each side of intestinal region, extending 

 toward and almost to much smaller pit on dorsal 

 surface at side of cardiac region, a narrow suture 

 connecting cavity and pit of each side. Front nar- 

 row, produced, upturned, and with a deep median 

 sinus. Orbits small. A middorsal ridge extending 

 from front almost to posterior margin, ridge in- 

 terrupted in middle of carapace ; branchial region 

 on each side with a prominent elevation more or 

 less divided into two parts, one connected by a 

 ridge to anterior angle of lateral wing, other simi- 

 larly connected to posterior angle. Hepatic region 

 small, slightly elevated; pterygostomian region 

 prominent, with conical downward-pointing 

 eminence visible from above. 



Chelipeds of moderate size, somewhat crested; 

 merus with two large triangular teeth on outer 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 

 763-049 O— 65 11 



Figure 125. — Speloeophorus pontifer ( Stimpson ) . Female 

 in dorsal view, 3 mm. indicated. 



Figure 126. — Speloeophorus pontifer (Stimpson). 

 in posterior view, 3 mm. indicated. 



Female 



margin; fingers slender and curved. Walking 

 legs granulate and tuberculate. 



Abdomen tuberculate; segments three to five 

 only partially fused ; sixth segment with a sharp, 

 backward pointing, proximal spine. 



Measurements. — Carapace: length of male, 6 

 mm., width, 8 mm. ; female, length, 10 mm., width, 

 13 mm. 



Variations. — This small species apparently at- 

 tains a width of about 15 mm., and is extremely 

 variable. The ridges and elevations of the dorsal 

 surface may be sharp and conspicuous or low and 

 rounded; the lateral angles of the lateral wings 

 of the carapace may be produced or rounded off. 

 The female is not so wide in proportion to length 

 as the male, and is somewhat tumid on the outer 

 posterior part of the lateral wings. 



Color. — Pale red in middle, remainder white 

 (von Martens in Rathbun, 1937. ) 



149 



