salinity areas. They found (also McDermott, 

 1960) that N. t. sayi readily preys on B alarms im- 

 provisus. Farther north, Landers (1954) reported 

 the crab abundant in Narragansett Bay where it 

 is a serious predator on young Mercenaria mer- 

 cenaria. Eyan (1956) found the form widely dis- 

 tributed in Chesapeake Bay, but apparently not 

 so abundant as in the more northern bays. Here it 

 ranged in depth from 2 to 25 fathoms (Rathbun, 

 1930a, in part), depths similar to those reported 

 by Sumner, Osburn, and Cole (1913a, b) for the 

 Woods Hole region. 



Genus Leptodius Milne Edwards, 1863 



Rathbun, 1930a. p. 296.— Hemming, 1958b. p. 33. 



Leptodius agassizii Milne Edwards 



Figures 174, 183H 



Leptodius agassizii Milne Edwards, 1880, p. 270, pi. 49, fig. 3. — 

 Hay and Shore, 1918, p. 441, pi. 34, fig. 6. — Rathbun, 1930a, p. 

 307, pi. 141, figs. 4-5 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace broad, sub- 

 oval, flattened, and finely granulate posteriorly, 

 conspicuously sculptured anteriorly ; regions lobu- 

 late, with coarse granules and fine scattered hairs 

 along front margin of lobules. Frontal margin 

 transversely grooved, appearing double; upper 

 margin less pronounced than lower, with groove 

 extending across from orbit to orbit, both edges of 

 groove and orbital margin granulate. Of five 

 anterolateral teeth only last two or three well de- 

 veloped, sharp, and turned forward; second tooth, 

 and sometimes third, triangular and obtuse, first 

 (outer orbital angle) represented by an elevated 

 mass of granules. 



Chelipeds unequal; larger one with strong, 

 blunt-tipped fingers; smaller one with more 

 slender, more acute, and more conspicuously 

 grooved fingers showing tendency to be spoon 

 shaped at tips; fingers dark, both hands with 

 upper and outer surfaces granulate and tubercu- 

 late and with tubercles arranged in rows; carpus 

 strong, with a sharp internal spine, sometimes a 

 double spine, and with many irregular, granulate 

 rugae above. Walking legs granulate and hairy. 



Measurements. — Carapace: male, length, 8 

 mm., width, 12 mm.; ovigerous female, length, 20 

 mm., width, 31 mm. 



Variations. — Small specimens from new Beau- 

 fort, X.C., have the last three anterolateral teeth 

 well developed, but a series in the U.S. National 



Figure 174. — Leptodius agassizii Milne Edwards. A. 

 carapace in dorsal view; B. carapace in frontal view; 

 2 mm. indicated. 



Museum from Pensacola, Fla., shows that the 

 number of these spines may be reduced to two in 

 larger individuals. 



Color. — After a short preservation in alcohol, 

 light red, fingers black. 



Habitat. — This species has been taken from 

 coral rock, sponges, and on sandy bottom. Ap- 

 proximately 6 to 45 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Florida Reefs, 12 to 18 fath- 

 oms. 



Known range. — Cape Hatteras, N.C., to Pensa- 

 cola, Fla. ; Virgin Islands. 



Remarks. — Ovigerous females are known from 

 April to November in various parts of the range. 



Genus Micropanope Stimpson, 1871 



Rathbun, 1930a. p. 426. — Hemming. 195Sb, p. 34. 



KEY TO SPECIES IN THE CAROLINAS 



a. Last lateral tooth of carapace obsolescent, carapace 

 rough, legs spinulose seulptipes (p. 193). 



aa. Last lateral tooth of carapace small but easily dis- 

 cernible. 



b. Second lateral tooth present, last lateral tooth denti- 

 form, not spinose: outer surface of hand somewhat 

 rugose xanthiformis (p. 193). 



192 



FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



