II 
THE MARINE CRUSTACEA 
By Mary J. RATHBUN 
CRUSTACEA are the most conspicuous invertebrate animals on 
the coast of Labrador by reason of their vast numbers, brilliant 
colours, swift movements, and diversity of form. The shallow 
water fauna is most abundant on the northern and southern shores, 
especially in Ungava Bay and from Hamilton Inlet southward 
and westward, where the harbours are enriched by the silt of 
numerous rivers and the land slopes gradually into the sea. Vari- 
ous kinds of Amphipods and other small forms swarm under the 
rocks and in masses of alge or in pools of water. Along most of 
the Atlantic coast, however, the bays are barren and rocky, with 
little seaweed, and there are few large streams carrying down 
sediment to form muddy and sandy bottoms; the rocks at the 
water’s edge are precipitous, supporting a narrow line of Fucus, 
which gives shelter only to the common sand-flea. In quiet eddies 
in the passages between the islands which fringe the coast, condi- 
tions are more favourable for the development of life. Here the 
dredge rewards the collector with spidery crabs and darting shrimps.’ 
The species found in Labrador are not numerous, nor are they 
peculiar to the peninsula, but in general range from Cape Cod to 
Greenland, while many extend to Europe or are Arctic in distri- 
bution, in not a few cases reaching into Bering Sea and the North 
Pacific Ocean. 
The common shore-crab, or rock-crab (Cancer irroratus), of the 
New England coast is also the shore-crab of Labrador, but has not 
been found north of Hamilton Inlet. It occurs frequently under 
stones in the Strait of Belle Isle. Occasionally it is caught and 
eaten by the natives. The shell is broadly oval, with nine saw- 
teeth on each side, and is speckled with fine red or brown dots; 
the claws are stout and similar in size and shape, and there are 
four pairs of smooth, flattened walking feet. 
Three other crabs inhabit the coasts of Labrador, but live offshore 
in depths varying from a few fathoms to fifty or more. They 
belong to the group popularly known as spider-crabs, on account 
of their relatively long and slender legs, but differ widely from the 
1 Cf. Packard, The Labrador Coast. 
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