Figure 149. — Portiinus depressifrons Stimpson. Male 

 in dorsal view, legs of left side not shown, 10 mm. 

 indicated. 



purple, or deep blue in larger specimens, while 

 some portion of same color usually apparent on 

 next two pairs, but color of first pair in striking 

 contrast with rest of crab. Very young speci- 

 mens do not show this distinction in color of legs, 

 so far as observed (Verrill, 1908). 



Habitat. — Abundant in shallow water on sandy 

 bottoms of coves and inlets at Bermuda (Verrill, 

 1908) ; surface to 16 fathoms. 



Type localities. — South Carolina and Florida 

 Keys. 



Known range. — Fort Macon, N.C. (Coues and 

 Yarrow, 1878; Kingsley, 1880) to Gulf of Cam- 

 peche and Caribbean Sea; Bermuda. 



Remarks. — This crab has not been collected in 

 the Carolinas for many years, so far as recorded. 

 Records in the U.S. National Museum show no 

 specimens from farther north than Key West, 

 Fla., and the Bahamas near the southeast coast 

 of the United States. A number of specimens in 

 the U.S. National Museum collection were taken 

 from the stomachs of the gray snapper, Lutjanus 

 (=Neamaenus) griseus, the yellow goat fish, Mul- 

 loidichthyes (=Upeneus) martinicus, and other 

 predaceous fish. Rathbun (1930a) reported ovi- 

 gerous females in June from Florida, and in 

 August from Florida and the Caribbean. More 

 recently, egg-bearing females have been taken on 

 Campeche Banks in late August. 



Portunus spinicarpus (Stimpson) 



Figure 150 



Achelou8 spinicarpus Stimpson, 1871a, p. 148. 

 Portunus spinicarpus: Hay and Shore, 1918, p. 429, pi. 33,' 

 fig. 3.— Rathbun, 1930a, p. 92, pi. 46. 



Recognition characters. — Carapace slightly 

 more than twice as wide as long, sculptured, with 

 a number of naked, rather coarsely granulate, 

 arching, transverse ridges separated by finely 

 granulate and pubescent surfaces. Six frontal 

 teeth, including inner orbitals, with sinuate but 

 unnotched outer margins; true frontal teeth nar- 

 row, acute, separated by broad notches, median 

 pair considerably advanced beyond others. Ex- 

 ternal orbital tooth acute, larger than neighbor- 

 ing teeth of anterolateral margin; latter varying 

 somewhat in size, concave sided, acute; lateral 

 tooth with form of slender curving spine more 

 than half as long as anterolateral border; poster- 

 olateral angle sharp, margin slightly recurved. 



Chelipeds long, slender; merus with four or 

 five stout, curved spines in front, and a single, 

 similar, distal spine behind. Carpus with two 

 spines, outer one small and weak, inner one long, 

 extending along side of hand to near base of dac- 

 tyl. Hand with serratotuberculate ridges, pro- 

 longed on fingers, and two spines, one at carpal 

 articulation, another near base of movable finger. 

 Fingers nearly straight, incurved at tips. 



Measurements. — Carapace: male, length, 18 

 mm. ; width, 38 mm. 



Variations. — Rathbun (1930a) stated that ovi- 

 genous females are smaller than males, and their 

 chelipeds are shorter, with the carpal spine not 

 reaching beyond the superior spine of the hand. 

 The lateral spine is relatively longer in young 

 than in old individuals and changes in angle of 

 projection with age, extending straight laterally 

 or slightly backward in the young, but curving 

 slightly forward in mature individuals. 



Color. — Carapace buff pink, mottled, highest 

 ridges touched with cinnamon red; fingers bor- 

 dered with crimson and maroon; two basal teeth 

 of dactyl and margin of palm white; rest of chela 

 maroon purple and purplish red, same color on 

 fringe of hair on carpal spine ; walking legs pur- 

 ple. (Schmitt in Rathbun, 1930a, where great, 

 detail on younger individuals is given.) 



MARINE DECAPOD CRUSTACEANS OF THE CAROLINAS 



167 



