Decapod Crustacea of Bermuda, Part II. 15 



brought from Bermuda by Mr. Louis Mowbray, for the Aquarium, 

 where they lived for several months, and seemed to be in good 

 condition. The writer watched the casting of the shell of one of 

 them in the aquarium. It was effected quite rapidly and appar- 

 ently with much less effort than is the case with the American 

 lobster, owing to the absence of large claws. 



P. argns has a wide range, from the Florida Keys to Central 

 America and throughout the West Indies to Brazil. It is the 

 common market species in Bermuda and the West Indies. 



Florida Keys and Colon (Yale Mus.) ; Dominica I., 1906 

 ( A. H. Verrill, Yale Mus.). Bahia, Brazil (S. I. Smith). 



This crustacean, like the American lobster, is highly prized for 

 food, and like the latter it has greatly diminished in numbers since 

 the early settlement of the islands, and very large specimens are 

 now seldom taken. Most are caught in large baited fish-traps of 

 peculiar construction*, but many are taken in shallow water by 

 means of long-handled spears or "grains." These creatures lie in 

 holes or cavernous places among the submerged ledges and reefs, 

 or under large rocks, but they often come out of their dens and 

 go a short distance in search of food, but retreat very quickly 

 when disturbed. They can be speared by a skillful person when 

 resting half out of their dens or when straying about. 



I was told that fishermen sometimes scare them out of their dens 

 by dropping in an arm or part of an arm of the Octopus, its 

 natural enemy. We sometimes found young specimens under 

 stones at low tides, as well as in cavernous rocks. 



The flesh is excellent for food. It is rather sweeter than that 

 of the American lobster. It is used as food throughout its range. 



This species has often been identified as P. anicricanus^ of 

 1 1. Milne-Edwards, to which it is certainly very closely related, if 

 it be distinct. 



The latter is said to differ from P. argus in having the four 

 spines of the antennular segment larger and equally spaced, so as 



* For a figure of one of these traps, and also of a large Bermuda lobster, 

 see Verrill : "The Bermuda Islands," I, p. 293, fig. 56, 1907. 



f Palimirus auicricanus M. Edw., Hist. Nat. des Crust, ii, p. 298, 1837. 



Heller, Reise Frig. Nouvarra. p. 95, 1865. (Analyt. table of all species 



of the genus). 

 Pannlirus aincricanus Streets, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 242, 1871. 



Bate, op. cit. xxiv, p. 76 (analytical table). ? Kingsley, Proc. Acad. 



Nat. Sci. Phila., p. 410, 1879 (no descr.). 



