THE GENUS CALLINECTES. 



By Mary J. Rathbun, 



Second jissistant Curator, Department of Marine Invertebrates. 



The genus CaUinectes was formed by Stimpsou in 1860 ^ for the 

 reception of the species of Portniiiche haviug a narrow or ±- shaped abdo- 

 men in the male, and the merus of the outer maxillipeds short, sharply 

 prominent, and curved outward at its antero-external angle. In this 

 genus he places "the common American Lupa diacanfha^^ (Latreille), 

 and for want of sufficient material is unable to find constant differences 

 between the northern and southern varieties of this species, or even to 

 separate Pacific Coast specimens, regarding as doubtfully distinct 

 L. beJlicosa, which he had recently described from Guaymas. 



In 1S63 Lieut. Albert Ordway ^ j)ublished comparative descriptions 

 of nine different species of CaUinectes.^ Say's name hastatus was given 

 to the common sjiecies of eastern North America, the name diacanthus 

 was restricted to a Brazilian form described by Dana in 1852, and six 

 new species were added. Mr. Ordwaj^ claimed that there were well- 

 marked characters separating the species, the variations in the abdomi- 

 nal appendages of the male being of primary importance. 



In 1869 Prof. S. I. Smith gave the name C. dmuv to Dana's C. diacan- 



th HS. 



A. Milne- Ed wards in his revision of the Portunidae^ did not recognize 

 the validity of the genus CalUnecies, but later ^ he considered it as dis- 

 tinct and placed in it Lupa (^irtca^^/ta (Latreille), the one species embrac- 

 ing all the Callinectes of America and West Africa. The species 

 described by Say, Stimpson, Smitli and Ordway, vvere recognized simply 

 as varieties or races, the characters separating them being considered 

 of trivial importance and not constant. To these varieties or races he 

 added five others, three of which were made on slight characters. 



1 Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., VII, p. 220. 

 -Afterwards Brig. Gen. Albert Ordway of Toluuteers. 

 3 Boston Jonrn. Xat. Hist., VII, pp. 568-579. 

 4 Arch. Mns. Hist. Nat. Paris, X, Addenda, 1861. 

 'Crustaces de la K^^gion Mexicaine, 222, 1879. 

 Proceedings of the United States Xatioiial Museniii, Vol. XVIII— No. U)7(i. 



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