Both Hyman (1924b) and Lebour (1944) il- 

 lustrated some larval stages of Planes minutus. 

 In the region of the Carolinas, ovigerous females 

 have been taken virtually throughout the year. 



Subfamily Varuninae 



Front moderately or little deflexed, sometimes 

 sublaminar. Branchial region with downward 

 sloping posterolateral portion set off from rest of 

 region by a more or less distinctly marked line. 

 Suborbital crest, supplementing defective lower 

 border of orbit, rather distant from orbit and usu- 

 ally running in a line with anterior border of 

 epistome. Antennal flagellum usually of good 

 length. External maxillipeds moderately or 

 slightly gaping, without oblique hairy crest; palp 

 articulating with middle of anterior border or 

 near anteroexternal angle of merus; exognath in 

 American genera rather narrow, sometimes partly 

 concealed. Male abdomen rarely covering all 

 space between last pair of legs (Eathbun, 1918b). 



Genus Euchirograpsus Milne Edwards, 1853 



Rnthbun. 1918b, p. 281 — Hemming, 1958b, p. 81. 



Euchirograpsus americanus Milne Edwards 



Figure 204 



Euohirograpsus americanus Milne Edwards, 1S80, p. 18. — 'Rath- 

 bun, 1918b, p. 282, text-fig. 144, pi. 74.— Hay and Shore. 1918, 

 p. 448, pi. 36, fig. 7.— Garth, 1946, p. 511, pi. 85, figs. 5-6. 



Recognition characters. — Carapace slightly 

 broader than long; sides nearly straight and par- 

 allel, flattened posteriorly, sloping gently down 

 toward sides and front ; surface covered with 

 granules and short, soft hair. Front somewhat 

 produced, lamellate, with a narrow median notch. 

 Eyes large; orbits large, a small tooth at inner 

 angle; upper margin oblique, sinuous; outer angle 

 spiniform, behind it three smaller spines on lateral 

 margin, middle spine largest; lower margin of 

 orbit denticulate. Third article of antennae hol- 

 lowed out on inner side. 



Chelipeds stout, 1.5 times as long as carapace; 

 merus with surface crossed by fine granulated 

 lines, margins spinulose, a superior subdistal 

 ie; carpus with inner distal margin spinulose; 

 hand with three spinulose ridges above, a ridge 

 near lower edge, and another less distinct through 

 middle; fingers slender, grooved, pointed, grip- 



Figure 204. — Buchirograpsus americanus Milne Edwards. 

 Animal in dorsal view, walking legs of left side not 

 shown, 5 mm. indicated. 



ping edges with low, irregular teeth fitting to- 

 gether. Walking legs slender, compressed, hairy; 

 second pair over twice length of carapace; all 

 meri crossed by fine granulated lines and with 

 three subdistal spines, one above, one inner, and 

 one outer below, first merus spinulose below; 

 dactyls armed with long spines. 



Measurements. — Carapace: female, length, 14 

 mm.; width, 16 mm. 



Color. — Yellowish gray, arranged in marblings 

 on carapace and in alternately light and dark 

 bands on legs, or light brown with five or six 

 bands of red on legs ( various authors) . More de- 

 tail given by Garth ( 1946 ) . 



Habitat. — Seventeen to 278 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Barbados, 69 fathoms, Blake 

 station 278. 



Known range. — Off Oregon Inlet, N.C., through 

 West Indies to Barbados, and through Caribbean 

 Sea to Monosquillo [Morrosquillo], Colombia; 

 Galapagos Islands. 



Remarks. — This species had rarely been taken 

 off the Carolinas until recently. Offshore collect- 

 ing has shown it to be not uncommon, and a 

 northern, as well as upper bathymetric record, 

 was established when an ovigerous female was 

 taken off Oregon Inlet. X.C., at 17 fathoms in 

 February (Cerame- Vivas, Williams, and Gray, 

 I'm;:',). Ovigerous females are otherwise known in 

 Florida from March to September. 



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FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



