FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 72, NO. 3 



Callinectes tumidus Ordway, 1863, p. 574 [9] (syn- 

 types: 2 S, MCZ 5159, Key West, Fla., J. E. 

 Mills; 1 mature 9, MCZ 5162, Haiti, A. 

 Hilchenbach).- A. Milne Edwards, 1879, 

 p. 226 (var. of C. diacanthus).- Rath- 

 bun, 1896, p. 359, pi. 18; pi. 24, fig. 6; pi. 25, 

 fig. 5; pi. 26, fig. 5; pi. 27, fig. 6.- Rankin, 

 1898, p. 232.- Young, 1900, p. 189 (var. of C. 

 diacanthus). 



ILupa (Neptunus) diacantha.- von Martens, 1872, 

 p. 92 (part, the Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, 

 specimens). 



Neptunus (Callinectes) diacanthus.- Ortmann, 

 1894, p. 77 (part, specimen n, Haiti). 



Callinectes exasperatus .- Rathbun, 1897, p. 150.- 

 1901, p. 49.- 1930, p. 130, text-figs. 15f, 16f, 

 17e, 18e, pi. 56.- 1933, p. 49.- Contreras, 

 1930, p. 236, fig. 7.- Chace, 1940, p. 33.- 

 1956, p. 154, unnumbered fig.- Chace and 

 Hobbs, 1969, p. 131, fig. 37c.- Taissoun, 

 1969, p. 81, fig. 31A-D, photo 11.- 1973, p. 37, 

 figs. 4C, 5C, photo 6. 



Callinectes diacanthus.- Young, 1900, p. 186 

 (part). 



Description .—Ca.va.p3iCe (Figure 9) bearing four 

 well developed frontal teeth, submesial pair nar- 

 rower and slightly shorter than lateral pair. 

 Metagastric area with posterior width 1.2-1.3 

 times length, anterior width 2.3-2.5 times length. 

 Anterolateral margins strongly arched with an- 

 terolateral teeth exclusive of outer orbital and 

 lateral spine usually but not always curved for- 

 ward; teeth progressively broader laterally with 

 fifth tooth often largest. Lateral spine stout, usu- 

 ally less than twice length of preceding tooth. Sur- 

 face of carapace conspicuously granulate with 

 densest concentrations on central eminences, 

 coarsest and most widely spaced granules in front 

 of epibranchial line separated by smooth surfaces. 

 Central sulci on carapace definite but not deep; 

 epibranchial line rather flatly arched, slightly 

 sinuous. 



Chelipeds robust, ridges and crests of all articles 

 coarsely granulate; fingers of major chela strong 

 but not markedly gaping. 



Male abdomen and telson reaching along pos- 

 terior quarter of thoracic sternite IV; telson lan- 

 ceolate with sinuous inflated sides, length 1.5 

 times basal width; basal portion of fused segments 

 3-4-5 truncate laterally. Mature female abdomen 

 and telson reaching about same level as in male; 

 telson triangular with inflated sides, length 1.2 



times basal width; fifth segment longer than sixth. 

 First gonopods of male (Figures 18g, 20i) reaching 

 slightly beyond suture between thoracic sternites 

 VI and VII, sinuously curved, overlapping in prox- 

 imal half along midline then diverging distally, 

 twisting on axis near tip and bending abruptly 

 mesad; armed distally with scattered minute 

 spinules, tip slightly broadened and opening pos- 

 teromesially. Gonopores of female (Figure 22g) 

 broadly and somewhat asymmetrically ovate in 

 outline with orientation of long axis mainly in 

 frontal plane but with apex directed anteromesad; 

 aperture of each laterally elongate and sinuous, 

 sloping from broadest area at surface on mesial 

 side to narrower and deeper portion under 

 rounded overhanging anterior border with promi- 

 nent central projection and posterior border with 

 elongate posterolateral eminence. 



Size of carapace in mm. — Largest male: length 

 67, width at base of lateral spines 114, including 

 lateral spines 129. Largest female: length 59, 

 width at base of lateral spines 101, including lat- 

 eral spines 124. Summary of selected measure- 

 ments is given in Tables 1 and 2. 



Color. — Carapace of adult male purplish red, 

 more accented on proto-, meso-, and metagastric 

 areas and at base of lateral spines and anterolat- 

 eral teeth; branchial region and anterolateral 

 teeth obscure maroon. Dorsal surface of all legs 

 purplish red with intense orange red on articula- 

 tions; inferior portion of merus, carpus, and 

 fingers of chelipeds intense violet; internal and 

 external portion of chelae as well as entire ventral 

 portion of animal white with tints of soft purple 

 (Taissoun, 1969). 



Variation. — There is notable variation in an- 

 terolateral tooth pattern; the fifth, sometimes de- 

 scribed as largest (Rathbun, 1930) may be ex- 

 ceeded by the fourth, sixth, or a combination of 

 both, or there may be asymmetrical size and tooth 

 number differences. 



Distribution. — Bermuda; Veracruz, Mexico; 

 southern Florida to Estado de Santa Catarina, 

 Brazil (Figure 26). Reason for lack of collections 

 from the Guianas and northern Brazil is un- 

 known. 



Habitat. — This species lives primarily in shoal 

 marine, estuarine, and perhaps fresh water, espe- 



758 



