1921] Schmitt: The Marine Decapod Crustacea of California 



I. INTRODUCTION 



The United States fisheries steamer ' ' Albatross ' ' was commissioned 

 in October, 1911, by the Bureau of Fisheries, to make a biological 

 survey of San Francisco Bay. The operations were directed by a 

 board consisting of Dr. F. B. Sumner, naturalist, Professor C. A. 

 Kofoid, of the University of California, and Commander G. H. Bur- 

 rage, U.S.N., succeeded by Lieutenant-Commander H. B. Soule. 

 U.S.N. The field work began on January 30, 1912, and continued 

 until April 7, 1913, when the last dredge haul was made. 



That portion of the results of this survey dealing with the physical 

 conditions within San Francisco Bay has been "published in a joint 

 paper by Dr. F. B. Sumner, Dr. O. D. Louderback, Mr. W. L. Schmitt, 

 and Mr. E. C. Johnston (1914). Discussions and detailed data are 

 given regarding the temperature, salinity, depth of the water, and 

 the character of the bottom for the various stations occupied by the 

 "Albatross." These data serve as the basis for ecological studies now 

 being made of the different groups of marine organisms obtained 

 during the survey. 



The fact that much of the literature dealing with the California 

 decapods is to be found only in older publications, now out of print 

 and in a large measure inaccessible to the average student, and that 

 the more recent and very excellent works covering the region under 

 discussion are either limited in circulation and consequently difficult 

 to obtain or are verj^ restricted in scope, prompted the expansion of 

 this report upon the decapod Crustacea collected by the "Albatross" 

 in the course of this survey of San Francisco Bay into a handbook of 

 the marine decapod Crustacea of California. 



In all 220 (-|- 1, Sergestes sp. ?) valid species are known or 

 reported from California waters. The vast majority belong to the 

 so-called littoral, or continental shelf fauna; only thirty-six (-)- 1 ?) 

 are strictly deep sea, or abyssal forms, known only from depths exceed- 

 ing 100 fathoms. The minimum depth from which the latter are 

 known is indicated in all specific keys, thus distinguishing them from 

 the forms with littoral records for which the California range limits 

 are given. Eleven species appear to be new, not heretofore described : 

 GennaoZas pectinatus, Palaemonetes hiltoni, Spirontocaris lagunae, 



