HIGHER CRUSTACEA OF l&EW YORK CITY 1 39 



Family cancridae 

 Cancer irroratus Say 



Rock crab 



Cancer irroratus Say, T. (male only, the female being C. borealis) 

 Acad Nat. Sci. Phila. Jour. T817. p. 59, pi. 4, fig. .2. Verrill. /. c. 1874. p. 546. 

 Smith. I. c. 1878. p.38. 



Platycarcinus irroratus De Kay. /. c. 1844. p.6, pi. 2, fig. 2. 



Carapace rounded, with nine blunt teeth on each side of the 

 anterior part. Last pair of legs end in points. 



It is a northern form, being the common crab of the New 

 England states, but extends down into New Jersey. It is found 



Yig. q Cancer irroratus (After Rathbun) 



under large rocks near low water or buried in the sand or gravel 

 Ijeneath them, but may also occur on the sandy beaches. 



Length of carapace 75 mm, breadth 100 mm. Color light, but 

 thickly spotted over with many small red dots which give the 

 prevailing color. 



The allied species, C . borealis Stimpson, the northern crab, 

 may possibly be found within the city limits. This is a rather larger 

 and heavier species than irroratus and frequents rocky local- 

 ities, usually being found on the rocks, and not underneath. Farther 

 north it is found cast on the beaches in considerable numbers. It 

 possesses the nine lateral teeth, but those on the side are more 

 pointed, and the carapace is rougher than in irroratus. 



