NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



142 



Family 



Callinectes hastatus Ordway 

 Edible crab, blue crab 



Callinectes h a s t a t u s Ordway. Bost. Jour. Nat. Hist. 1863. 7:568, 

 Verrill. /. c. 1874. p. 548. 



Lnpa d iacan tha DeKay. I.e. p.io, pi. 3, fig.3. 



Callinectes sapid us Rathbtm, M. J. U. S. Nat. Mus. Proc. 1896. 

 18:349, pl.12-14- 



Carapace twice as long as broad, with a sharp spine at each side. 

 Last pair of legs with the terminal segment flattened. Color dark 

 green. 



Fig. ii Callinectes hastatus (After Ra hbun) 



This is the common form sold in the markets and is doubtless 

 the most familiar of the Brachyura to those who are not naturalists. 

 It occurs on the bottoms of the bays or clinging to the seaweeds 

 on the wharves and extends some distance up into fresh water, 

 specimens having been taken at Newburgh. As may be supposed 

 from the finlike posterior legs, it is a good swimmer and may often 

 be found at the surface. 



The young do not have the characteristic color of the adult, but 

 are much lighter, with numerous small black spots, and closelv 

 resemble the sand and pebbles on which they live. They are just 

 as pugnacious as the adult and, when cornered, dance around, hold- 



