Color. — A dirty brown. 



Habitat. — The species has been taken on a 

 variety of bottoms ranging from sand with grass, 

 or a hard smooth substrate, to rocky or coral 

 bottoms. Rathbun (1925) reported the form from 

 predominantly coarse bottoms. About 2 to 13 

 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Near Key West [Fla.], in from 

 2 to 5 fathoms. 



Known range. — Beaufort Harbor, N.C., via 

 southern Florida to Alligator Harbor, Fla. 



Remarks. — Ovigerous females are known in 

 Florida from January to March (U.S. National 

 Museum records). 



Family Parthenopidae 



Eyes usually retractile within small, circular, 

 well-defined orbits, floor of orbit nearly continued 

 to front, leaving a hiatus usually filled by second 

 [article] of antennary peduncle. Basal antennal 

 [article] small, deeply imbedded, between inner 

 angle of orbit and antennulary fossae. Antennules 

 folding somewhat obliquely (Alcock, 1895). 



Subfamily Parthenopinae 



Carapace commonly equilaterally triangular, 

 sometimes subpentagonal or ovate-pentagonal, 

 and sometimes almost semicircular or semiellipti- 

 cal in outline. Cardiac and gastric regions usually 

 deeply marked off from branchial regions on 

 either side, making dorsal surface of carapace 

 trilobed. Rostrum simple or obscurely trilobed. 

 Chelipeds vastly longer and more massive than 

 walking legs (Alcock, 1895). First pleopod vary- 

 ing, more or less stout, apically tapering or not 

 tapering; second pleopod usually short and of 

 usual shape (Stephensen, 1945). 



KEY TO GENERA IN THE CAROLINAS 



(Modified after Rathbun, 1925) 



a. Carapace not laterally expanded over walking legs, 

 b. Carapace tuberculate or eroded _/'«r?/icji ope (p. 266). 

 bb. Carapace smooth, except for a few strong spines 



Solenolambrus i p. 270). 

 aa. Carapace more or less expanded forming a vault be- 

 neath which walking legs are concealed 



Heterocrypta (p. 270). 



Genus Parthenope Weber, 1795 



Garth, 1958, p. 434. 



KEY TO SPECIES IN THE CAROLINAS 



a. Carapace ovate-pentagonal, surface scarcely carinate 



in adult (Subgenus Parthenope) agona (p. 266). 



aa. Carapace broadly triangular, carinate or tuberculate, 

 with more or less rounded sides 



(Subgenus Platyl-ambrus). 

 b. Carapace and chelipeds very flat; spine at end of 



main dorsal branchial ridge small scrrata (p. 267). 



bli. Carapace convex, chelipeds not flat ; spine at end 

 of main dorsal branchial ridge large, 

 e. Carapace much broader than long ; hand with 8-12 

 teeth on inner, 10-12 on outer margin 



pourtalesii (p. 268). 

 cc. Carapace not much, if any, broader than long ; 

 hand with few good sized marginal teeth, six to 

 eight on inner, three to five on outer margin 



fraterculus (p. 269). 



Parthenope (Parthenope) agona (Stimpson) 



Figures 246, 252iA 



Lambrus agonus Stimpson, 1871a. p. 131. 



Parthenope agona: Hay and Shore, 1918, p. 4i82, pi. 39, fig. 5. 

 Parthenope agonus: Rathbun, 1925, p. 513, text-fig. 146, pis. 

 178-179 ; pi. 275, figs. 1-3 (rev.). 



Recognition characters. — Carapace ovate-pen- 

 tagonal or subcircular, somewhat broader than 

 long, with rounded sides, without angles. Post- 

 orbital constriction slight, not involving ptery- 

 gostomian ridge continuing from lower side of 

 orbit to point above cheliped. Depressions be- 



Figitre 246. — Parthenope {Parthenope) agona (Stimp- 

 son). Male in dorsal view, position of legs recon- 

 structed, walking legs of left side not shown, 10 mm. 

 indicated. 



266 



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