HIGHER CRUSTACEA OF NEW YORK CITY 147 



They are slow moving animals, and their carapaces are not 

 infrequently so covered with foreign matter, such as worm tubes, 

 living hydroids and algae, that it is difficult to distinguish them 

 from their surroundings. One crab taken had the entire body cov- 

 ered with a soft velvety-looking mass of the hydroid Hydractinia, 

 which occurs on the hermit crabs. Members of this family have 

 been observed sticking bits of algae, hydroids etc. on bare spots of 

 the carapace with their pincers. 



Length 4-6 cm. 



Occurs along the shore in the bays. 



The tribe Oxystomata is not represented in New York. 



3 CATOMETOPA 



Carapace broad anteriorly, often subquadrate, sometimes sub- 

 globose ; truncate or arcuate anteriorly but always without a rostrum. 

 Front bent downwards. Epistome short. 



Of the four families, Ocypodidae, Grapsidae, Gecarcinidae and 



Pinnotheridae, representatives of the first and fourth have been 



taken. 



Family ocypodidae 



Gelasimus pugilator Latreille 



Gelasimus minax Le Conte 



Gelasimus pugnax Smith 



Fiddler or soldier crabs 



Gelasimus pugilator Latreille. Nouv. diet, d'hist. nat. ed.2, 1817. 

 2:520. Smith, S. I. Ct. Acad. Arts and Sci. Trans. 1870. 2:113, pl.4, fig.7. 

 Verrill. /. c. 1874. p.545. 



Gelasimus vocans DeKay. /. c. 1844. p.14, pl.6, fig.g (pars). 



Gelasimus minax LeConte. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila. Proc. 1855. 

 7:403. Smith. /. c. p. 128, pl.2, fig.4, pl.4, fig.i-ib. Verrill. I. c. 1874. p. 545. 



Gelasimus pugnax Smith. I. c. 1870. 2:131, pl.2, fig.i, pl.4, fig.2-2d. 

 Verrill. 1. c. 1874, p.545. 



Gelasimus vocans var. a. DeKay. /. c. 1844. p.14, pl.6, fig.io. 



Carapace rather quadrangular; one of the first pair of walking 

 legs of the male enormously developed and carried horizontally, both 

 of first pair of female small. 



Of the three species G . minax is much the largest, and has 

 red spots at the articulations of the joints. G. pugnax and 

 pugilator are distinguished by the presence in pugnax (as 



