TRUE CRABS OF MONTEREY BAY 



A single male specimen was dredged from 45 fathoms. As this 

 species was previously reported from San Diego and Alamitos Bay, this 

 is a material increase of range. 



Genus EPIALTUS Milne Edwards. 



Epialtus Milne Edwards, Hist. Nat. Crust., i, 344, 1834 (Type Epialtus bituber- 

 culatus Milne Edwards). 



Key to species. 



a. Rostrum entire, no post-ocular spine. E. bituberculatus 



aa. Rostrum bifid, a post-ocular spine. . productus 



Epialtus bituberculatus Milne Edwards. 



Epialtus bituberculatus Milne Edwards, Hist. Nat. Crust., i, 345, pi. 15, fig. n, 1834. 

 Rathbun, H. A. E., x, 173, 1904, and synonymy. 



"Southern California (either Catalina Harbor or Monterey)" Rath- 

 bun. Its occurrence seems very doubtful ; if found it should be easily 

 distinguished by its small size, as compared with E. productus, and its 

 entire rostrum. 



Epialtus productus Randall. 

 Plate III, fig. 9. 



Epialtus productus Randall, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., viii, no, 1839. Holmes, 

 Occas. Papers Calif. Acad. Sci., vii, 22, 1900, and synonymy. Rathbun, H. A. 

 E., x, 173, 1904- 



This species, next to Cancer antennarius and Cancer productus which 

 probably exceed it in weight, is the largest of the common shore crabs of 

 Monterey Bay and is one of the few on the coast which aspire to the 

 dignity of a common name, being called the "kelp crab" because, accord- 

 ing to Holmes it is usually found on kelp which it closely resembles in 

 color. The young are common along shore chiefly among the seaweed, 

 but most of the adults obtained have come from the piles of the Mon- 

 terey wharves, though it is found on floating kelp and on buoys. It is 

 often affected with a sacculina, and seems to be the only species commonly 

 so parasitized, as I have examined many specimens of other species and 

 have never found a sacculina. 



