WILLIAMS: CRABS OF THE GENUS CALLINECTES 



Callinectes bocourti A. Milne Edwards, 1879, p. 

 226 (syntypes: 2 S, MNHNP, Mullins River, 

 20 miles south Belize, [British] Honduras, 

 M. Bocourt). 



Callinectes Cayennensis A. Milne Edwards, 1879, 

 p. 226 (syntypes: 2 6, MNHNP [French] 

 Guiana, M. Melinon). 



Lupa diacantha .- Kappler, 1881, p. 143. 



?Neptunus diacanthus.- Thallwitz, 1892, p. 53. 



Callinectes bocourti.- Rathbun, 1896, p. 369, pis. 

 19; 24, fig. 7; 25, fig. 6; 26, fig. 6; 27, fig. 6 

 [part].- 1897, p. 151 [part].- 1901, p. 49.- 

 1930, p. 128, text-figs. 15g, 16e, 17h, 18f, pi. 

 55.- 1933, p. 49.- 1936, p. 383.- Young, 1900, 

 p. 192.- Bott, 1955, p. 56.- Holthuis, 1959, p. 

 201, text-fig. 47, pi. 5, fig. 2.- Chace and 

 Hobbs, 1969, p. 127, text-figs. 35, 37a.- 

 Taissoun, 1969, p. 57, figs. 20A-D, photo 7.- 

 1972, p. 31, figs, la-d, 2 [part], 3 [part], 9C, 

 lOC-D; photos 4b, 5-6, (col.), 7.- 1973, p. 24, 

 figs. 4G, 5G, photo 2. 



Callinectes diacanthus.- Young, 1900, pis. 2, 3. 



Callinectes cayennensis.- Young, 1900, p. 192. 



Callinectes danae.- Tesch, 1914, p. 195 (fide, 

 Holthuis, 1959, p. 205). 



Description. — Carapace (Figure 12) bearing 

 four triangular frontal teeth with tips reaching a 

 nearly common level, lateral pair obtuse with 

 mesial side having flatter angle than lateral side, 

 submesial pair narrower than laterals. Metagas- 

 tric area with length and posterior width about 

 equal, anterior width 2 times length. Anterolat- 

 eral margins moderately arcuate, anterolateral 

 teeth exclusive of outer orbital and lateral spine 

 swept forward, anterior margin of teeth shorter 

 than posterior margin, teeth in lateral half of row 

 always acuminate. Surface of carapace dorsally 

 smooth and glistening around perimeter (when 

 wet) and on epibranchial surfaces; central portion 

 granulate, coarsest granules over mesobranchial 

 and rear half of cardiac areas and lateral half of 

 branchial lobes. Epibranchial line prominent and 

 nearly continuous, sulci on central part of 

 carapace deeply etched. 



Chelipeds remarkably smooth except for usual 

 spines and obsolescent granules on ridges; fingers 

 of major chela heavily toothed, lower margin of 

 propodal finger often decurved near base in adults. 



Male abdomen and telson long, extending 

 nearly to juncture between thoracic sternites III 

 and IV; telson lanceolate, much longer than broad; 

 sixth segment of abdomen broadened distally. 



Mature female abdomen and telson reaching as 

 far forward as in male, sixth segment nearly as 

 long as fifth, its distal edge uniformly arched, 

 telson elongate-triangular with inflated sides. 

 First gonopods of male (Figures 18j, 20m) very 

 long, often exceeding telson and crossed near tips; 

 sinuously curved and overlapping in two places 

 proximally, diverging distally, twisting 

 mesioventrally on axis lateral to abdominal lock- 

 ing tubercle and recurving gradually to termina- 

 tion near midline; armed distally with a dorsolat- 

 eral band of large and small retrogressive 

 spinules. Gonopores of female (Figure 22j) asym- 

 metrically ovate in outline with apex on long axis 

 directed anteromesad; aperture of each sloping 

 from surface on mesial side under rounded, 

 sinuous anterolateral border superior to a low 

 rounded eminence on posterior border. 



Size of carapace in mm. — Largest male: length 

 76, width at base of lateral spines 132, including 

 lateral spines 156. Largest female: length 70, 

 width at base of lateral spines 121, including 

 lateral spines 146. Summary of selected meas- 

 urements is given in Tables 1 and 2. The species 

 characteristically reaches fairly large size. 



Color. — Complete color descriptions (Chace and 

 Hobbs, 1969; Taissoun, 1969, 1972) and notes 

 (Rathbun, 1896, 1930; Holthuis, 1959) give a 

 range of color variations. These can be broadly 

 summarized as: Overall cast olive green with 

 prominent reddish markings. Carapace olive, 

 grayish green, greenish chestnut, or forest green 

 with variable purplish to red markings, especially 

 on branchial, hepatic, cardiac, and gastric areas, 

 individuals of large size sometimes being dark 

 chestnut tinted blackish brown on gastric and 

 metagastric areas, with an oblique spot on sub- 

 branchial region; anterolateral teeth olive green 

 with brown to red tints and yellowish white tips. 

 Chelipeds red to dark reddish brown above and 

 whitish below with bluish tints, main colors being 

 sharply separated on outer surface of palm; fingers 

 red to reddish brown, a purplish cast on internal 

 articulation of merus with carpus and this 

 member with chela; tubercles, tips of fingers, and 

 spines on articles cream. Remaining legs reddish 

 above with shades of maroon, yellow, and olive 

 green ventrally except distal articles scarlet to red 

 or dark red distally; hairs olive-tan. Underparts of 

 body mainly dirty white to purplish red with 

 suffusion of blue marginally, first abdominal seg- 



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