WILLIAMS: CRABS OF THE GENUS CALLINECTES 



2237, Sisters Creek at Fort George River?, Duval 

 County, 2 6, 2 9, G. P. Frymire and G. C. Williams. 

 2138, Mouth of Sisters Creek off St. Johns River, 

 M. E. Tagatz and G. P. Frymire. 1995 (Paratypes), 

 off St. Johns River jetties, 5 <J, 4 9, 3 juv, M. E. 

 Tagatz and G. P. Frymire. 1990 (Paratypes), 2 to 3 

 mi off beach between St. Johns River jetties and 

 Jacksonville Beach, 17 cJ, 16 2 (10 ov), 8 juv, G. P. 

 Frymire, M. E. Tagatz, and G. C. Williams. 



Texas: 2139, Galveston Bay, June 1964, 1 <?, col. 

 unknown. 



Supplementary literature records. — Laguna 

 Madre de Tamaulipas (as danae, Hildebrand, 



1957). 



CALLINECTES GLADIATOR 

 BENEDICT 



Marine Blue Swimming Crab 

 Figures 5, 18c, 20b, 22c, 24 



Lupa smythiana Leach (nomen nudum) in White, 

 1847, p. 27. 



Callinectes tumidus var. gladiator Benedict, 1893, 

 p. 537 (type: 6, USNM 14879, Baya River, 

 Elmina, Ashanti [Ghana]). 



Callinectes tumidus gladiator.- Rathbun, 1896, p. 

 360. 



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

 1900a, p. 291.- 1921, p. 397, fig. 3; pi. 19, fig. 

 2.- Balss, 1921, p. 58.- Monod, 1927, p. 606.- 

 1956, p. 205, figs. 236-237.- Irvine, 1932, p. 

 15, fig. 9.- 1947, p. 298, fig. 203.- Vilela, 

 1949, p. 58, fig. 6.- Capart, 1951, p. 130, fig. 

 46.- Rossignol, 1957, p. 82.- 1962, p. 116.- 

 Guinot and Ribeiro, 1962, p. 48.- Crosnier, 

 1964, p. 32.- Forest and Guinot, 1966, p. 64. 



Description. — Carapace (Figure 5) bearing four 

 frontal teeth, submesial pair almost never more 

 than half length of lateral pair. Metagastric area 

 short, anterior width about 2.5 times length, pos- 

 terior width about 1.5 times length. Anterolateral 

 margins arched slightly; teeth, exclusive of outer 

 orbital and lateral spine, with tendency to ar- 

 rangement in a 3-2-2 pattern; proximal three 

 narrow-acute and separated by narrow sinuses; 

 middle two broader, acuminate, and more widely 

 separated; lateral two spiniform and trending 

 forward. Lateral spine usually long and slender. 

 Surface finely or moderately and evenly granulate 



except for variably smooth portions at periphery, 

 especially on posterior and posterolateral slopes. 

 Tendency toward ridging or heaping of granules 

 on branchial and cardiac lobes. Epibranchial line 

 prominent and nearly uninterrupted. 



Chelipeds with propodus sharply ridged, ridges 

 granulated; carpus often with granulated ridges 

 evident dorsally; major chela with strong tooth at 

 base of dactyl. 



Male abdomen and telson narrow, reaching 

 slightly beyond suture between thoracic sternites 

 IV and V; telson about 1.6 times longer than wide; 

 sixth segment constricted at midlength, sides 

 markedly divergent proximally. Mature female 

 abdomen and telson reaching same level as in 

 male, telson a bit wider than long, sixth segment 

 slightly shorter than fifth. First gonopods of male 

 (Figures 18c, 20b) reaching slightly beyond mid- 

 length of thoracic sternite VII; curved sigmoidally 

 in distal half, overlapping, divergent except at 

 extreme tip and twisted mesioventrally on axis; 

 armed distally with minute retrogressive 

 spinules, scattered or occasionally arranged in 

 rows. Gonopores of female (Figure 22c) irregularly 

 lunate with superior limb of each directed an- 

 teromesad; aperture of each with rounded margin 

 becoming lowest mesially where it slopes from 

 near surface level laterad under posteriorly 

 arched anterior border. 



Size of carapace in mm. — Largest male: length 

 48, width at base of lateral spines 92, including 

 lateral spines 117. Largest female: length 60, 

 width at base of lateral spine 108, including lat- 

 eral spines 138. Summary of selected measure- 

 ments is given in Tables 1 and 2. 



This species shows considerable variability in 

 size but is, on the whole, the smallest in the genus. 

 Females are often quite delicate, maturing at sizes 

 as small as a length of 23, width at base of lateral 

 spines 41, and width including lateral spines of 54. 

 Irvine (1947) noted that large individuals mea- 

 sure 6 inches or more (155 mm) across the cara- 

 pace. 



Color. — Uniform gray-green or gray-blue with 

 spot of blue on palm and proximal internal part of 

 fingers of chela (Rossignol, 1962). Beautiful mot- 

 tled carapace with bright blue legs, called the 

 marine or deep sea blue swimming crab (Irvine, 

 1932, 1947). Preserved specimens often have an 

 oval dark mahogany colored spot, variable in size, 

 on the gastric and metagastric areas. 



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