CRUSTACEA 235 



Callinectes sapidus Bathbun (Blue Crab) 



PLATE XXVI. Fig. 1 



This crab is probably familiar to everyone be- 

 cause it is very frequently used as food. It lives 

 in muddy regions all along the coast of New Jersey 

 and is particularly abundant in bays and harbors. 

 Summer visitors to the New Jersey often go crab- 

 bing from the ends of piers or from row boats in 

 the shallow bays. 



It has a hard shell and five pairs of legs. The 

 front pair of legs is larger than the rest and is 

 equipped with nipper-like claws. These are used 

 in defence from enemies and in obtaining food. 

 These claws are very sharp and can inflict an ex- 

 tremely painful wound. The next three pairs of 

 legs are smaller and pointed at the tips and are 

 used for walking along the sea bottom. The fifth 

 pair of legs has rounded paddle-like structures at 

 the ends which are used by the crab as oars or 

 paddles when it swims through the water. As the 

 crab grows, the hard blue shell does not grow 

 with it; in the course of time the shell becomes too 

 tight for the growing crab; so the shell splits, and 

 the crab crawls out with a new soft shell of the 

 proper size upon its body. This crab, which we call 

 a soft shelled crab, makes especially delicious food. 

 After a time the soft shell hardens and the story 

 is repeated. This process is called moulting, and is 

 the same thing that happens to a great many in- 

 sects. 



Common from Cape Cod to Florida. 



