76 REPORT OF COMMISSIONERS OF INLAND FISHERIES. 



This crab is larger than Pelia mutica and the carapace is 

 broader in front than in the preceding species. The rostrum is broad 

 at the base, and deeply cleft. The meral joints of the legs are 

 nearly cylindrical. The legs are slender and weak. 



Habitat: sandy and gravelly bottoms, 5.5 to 906 fathoms. 



Distribution: Atlantic coast to North Carolina; most abundant 

 north of Cape Cod. 



Economic value: food for fishes, especially the cod. 



Season in Rhode Island: 



When are the eggs laid, and how long after copulation? 



How long does the female carry the eggs? 



Extent of hatching season: 



(Genus) LIBINIA Leach. 



The carapace is convex, covered with spines, and evenly rounded 

 behind the frontal region. There is a distinct spine in front of the 

 orbit. The rostrum, which is not as long as in the preceding genera, 

 is forked at the end. The legs are long and well developed. 



This genus includes the spider crabs L . d u b i a and L . e m a r - 

 g i n a t a . They are sluggish in movement, and are usually covered 

 with vegetable growth and mud. 



Libinia dibia Milne Edwards. "Spider Crab J' 



Plate VI. Figure 25. 

 L. dubia Milne Edwards. Verrill and Smith, 1874. 



This and the following species are very similar. They differ in 

 the number of median spines. The number for L . dubia is six. 

 The rostrum is longer and more deeply divided in L . dubia than 

 in L . e m a r g i n a t a . 



Habitat: muddy shores. 



Distribution: Cape Cod to Gulf of Mexico. 



Economic value: 



Season in Rhode Island: 



