WILLIAMS: CRABS OF THE GENUS CALLINECTES 



Uncatalogued lot. Brigantine I., Atlantic Co., H. 

 B. Roberts, May 1953. A large, somewhat crushed 

 right chela with proximal half of fingers. 



Remarks. — Resolution of the taxonomic confu- 

 sion surrounding the correct name for C. sapidus 

 by Holthuis (1962) greatly simplifies both discus- 

 sion of the species' systematic history and vari- 

 ability over its range. From Latreille's ( 1825) de- 

 scription, it is apparent that the original material 

 from Philadelphia (possibly not the actual site of 

 collection) indeed represented the "typical" form 

 from eastern North America. Holthuis' selection 

 of a lectotype from this material and Williams' 

 ( 1965) restriction of the type locality to ' 'east coast 

 of the United States" support the facts as well as 

 they can be known today. Search of the collection 

 at ANSP revealed no specimens of C. sapidus that 

 date from the time of Latreille, and it is almost 

 certain that specimens on which he based his de- 

 scription are lost. There is no need now to desig- 

 nate a new type specimen, indeed selection of a 

 neotype would not be in keeping with the spirit of 

 the International Code (Art. 75), for no complex 

 zoological problem now depends upon a specimen 

 for its solution in this case. 



The earliest "scientific" treatment of the 

 species (Bosc, 1802) was more a natural history 

 account than a description, the name Portunus 

 hastatus being taken from a description para- 

 phrased from J. C. Fabricius (1798) that applied 

 to the European species originally described as 

 Cancer hastatus by Linnaeus (1767). 



I consider the whole C. sapidus complex to be a 

 single species which has diverged into ill defined 

 populations in certain portions of its range. The 

 "acutidens" form predominates over most of the 

 latitudinal range, but there are variations. 

 Among these are "typical" features that reach 

 their most pronounced expression in the popula- 

 tion along the east coast of the United States. 

 Taxonomic thinking of biologists has been clouded 

 by the fact that the form originally described was 

 the North American variant which became the 

 standard against which all comparisons were 

 made. 



Callinectes sapidus is the member of the genus 

 which has most successfully invaded the Temper- 

 ate Zone, and in this respect it may be that specia- 

 tion into forms associated with temperature re- 

 gimes is progressing, but the process is not yet 

 complete enough that morphological separation is 

 distinct. 



Material. — Total: 460 lots, 1,500-f- specimens. 



Specimens listed in Rathbun (1930) from 

 USNM (45656 and 26092 not found), MCZ, and 

 BMNH. 



USNM. 284 lots, 1,060+ specimens, including 

 the following not cited above plus 7 lots and 13 

 specimens from undetermined localities and 2 lots 

 of fingers from Indian mounds. 



UNITED STATES 



Massachusetts: 122952, Deadneck, Cotuit, 

 Barnstable Co., 1 July 1949, 1 <?, 3 9 (juv), H. E. 

 Winn. 



New York: 63260, Sing Sing [Ossing], no date, 1 

 5, 1 2, A. K. Fisher. 



New Jersey: 63177, 63178, 63181, off New En- 

 gland Creek, 19 Oct. 1^29, 2 <? , 1 2 (juv), H. G. 

 Richards. 63179, 1 mi off Dennis Creek, 13 Aug. 

 1929, 3 juv, H. G. Richards. 77006, 77041, Dennis 

 Cove, 13 and 25 Aug. 1929, 61 juv, H. G. Richards. 

 77007, 77040, Barnegat Bay, Lavalette, 15 Aug. 

 1931, 2 5,32,4 juv, H. G. Richards. 



Delaware: 77037, Delaware Bay near Woodland 

 Beach, no date, 1 S (juv), Coltam and Saylor. 

 63 180, Mispillion River, 10 July 1929, 1 $ (juv), H. 

 G. Richards. 77039, Mispillion Cove, 26 Aug. 



1931, 3 6 (juv), H. G. Richards. 



Maryland: 92452, Wye River, 16 Aug. 1951, IS, 

 M. Sandoz. 113230, Sullivan Cove, Severn River, 

 31 Aug. 1966, 1 0, deformed chela, B. Truett. 

 77036, Lake Ovington, near Bay Ridge, 19 July 

 1936, 3 d , 2 2 (juv), C. R. Aschemeir. 76996, mouth 

 Patuxent River, Solomons I., 16 July 1934, 2 2 

 (juv), P. Bartsch. 77033, Coster, about 3 mi N 

 Solomons I., no date, 1 o , deformed chela, B. Cos- 

 ter. 67646, Coster, no date, 1 2, albino, W. Everett. 

 76148, Point Lookout, 9 Sept. 1932, 1 2 (juv), E. 

 Bowles. 77004, Ridge, St. Marys Co., 26 Apr. 1930, 

 1 S (juv), W. H. Ball. 76129, Blakistone I., 9 Sept. 



1932, 1 2 (juv), E. Bowles. 66326, Herring Creek 

 (Lower Potomac), 31 July 1929, 5 2 (juv), B. A. 

 Bean. 66328, 77000, Riverside, 21 Nov. 1912, 2^,3 

 juv, U.S. Bur. Fish. 66614, Cobb I., Rock Point, 

 Potomac River opposite Colonial Beach, 14 Aug. 

 1931, 1 <? , E. D. Reid, W. L. Brown, and W. Pike. 

 75448, Analostan I., Potomac River at 

 Georgetown, D.C., 11 Sept. 1930, 2 <?, W. Reynold. 

 81473, 81474, Crisfield, 7 Oct. 1941, 41 juv, W. L. 

 Schmitt. 95733, off Smiths I., 20 Aug. 1953, 1 S, 

 partial albino, J. M. Ingley. 



Virginia: 61146, Tangier, Dec. 1927, 1 deformed 

 chela, J. Parks. 76998, Smiths I., 5 July 1935, 4 

 juv, W. H. Ball. 77034, Smiths I., Northampton 



785 



