Remarks. — The occurrence of this species in the 

 Carolinas is open to question because identifica- 

 tion of the South Carolina material is not certain. 

 Nevertheless, the species is included here. The 

 South Carolina specimens were ovigerous females 

 taken in August. 



Pagurus brevidactylus (Stimpson) 



Figure 107 



Eupagurus brevidactylus Stimpson, 1859, p. 91. 



Pagurus brevidactylus: Provenzano, 1959, p. 413, fig. 20 (rev.). 



PtoTTRE 107. — Pagurus brevidactylus (Stimpson). A, 

 anterior part of body and chelipeds, male in dorsal 

 view; B, chelae of female in dorsal outline; C, second 

 left walking leg in lateral view ; D, telson ; A-D ap- 

 proximately X 6 (after Provenzano, 1959). 



Recognition characters. — Anterior shield of 

 carapace slightly longer than broad. Rostrum ob- 

 solete and about on line with triangular lateral 



projections. Eyestalks swollen at base, tapering 

 toward cornea; eye scales armed along anterior 

 border with three to six spines. Antennular pe- 

 duncles reaching at least to tips of eyestalks. An- 

 tennal peduncles slightly exceeding eyestalks; 

 acicles reaching to base of cornea or slightly be- 

 yond. 



Chelipeds unequal in males, right larger than 

 left, equal or subequal in females; finger tips 

 corneous, spooned. Hands covered with fine hairs, 

 outer margin edged with spines, upper surface 

 with smaller spines in several rows; carpi with 

 strong spines above. Walking legs with long, fine, 

 inconspicuous hairs ; dactyls shorter than propodi 

 and with five to eight conspicuous spines along 

 inferior margin; propodi with only one or two 

 inconspicuous spinules along inferior margin. 



Measurements. — Length of carapace: male, 3 

 mm. ; female, 4 mm. 



Color. — Walking legs each characteristically 

 colored with six rust-red, or maroon stripes on 

 propodus, carpus, and merus, fewer on dactyl; 

 stripes longitudinal and interrupted at. ends of 

 each article ; ground color of walking legs yellow ; 

 hands brown with almost white fingers, not 

 striped ; carapace with scattering of red and white 

 pigment in fresh specimens (Provenzano, 1959). 



Habitat. — The species seems to prefer hard bot- 

 tom in areas where water circulation is fairly 

 good (Provenzano, 1959) ; has been taken from the 

 Black Rocks in North Carolina; 1 to 125 fathoms. 



Type locality. — Barbados. 



Known range. — Off New River, N.C.; south- 

 western Florida from Anclote section southward ; 

 through West Indies to Barbados. 



Remarks.- — Provenzano (1959) called attention 

 to the sexual dimorphism in this species. In fe- 

 males the hands are nearly the same size and the 

 right hand is spooned and serrate along the inside 

 margin of the fingers, whereas in males the right 

 hand is not only the larger, but the finger tips 

 appear more acuminate and the opposing mar- 

 gins of the fingers each bear a tooth. The speci- 

 mens listed by Pearse and Williams (1951) as 

 P. bonairensis are P. brevidactylus (U.S. National 

 Museum notes). 



Ovigerous females have been collected from 

 June to August in North Carolina, March to Au- 

 gust in Florida, and in April in Cuba. 



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FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



