Keithahn, E. L. 
Filed: Alaska Crab Inquiries 
* -*■ ^ 
August 26 , ig48 
Sr. E. L. Eelthahn 
Alaska Historical Mbrary and Museum 
P.O. Box 2051 
Juneau, Alaska 
Dear Dr. Eeithahn: 
Pardon this long delay in answering your letter. 1 
m not altogether certain Just what you seen by "giant spicier 
crab' 1 ; hut inasmuch as you seen to have Miss Bathbun*s hook 
before you, you nay recogni $ I it as Chioncccetes opilio (G. 
Fehricius) , the crab to which I believe you are referring, I 
did not '-mow that it was such eaten thou ^ I have oaten it my- 
self and have been present at seme experiments made in canning 
it. Ohionoe cetes is a true decapod crab showing externally 
five pairs of legs, " pair of claws or piacher legs, and four 
pairs of aabulat cries, 
the •king* crab H is a so-called anonuraa crab having in 
the female an asymmetrical abdomen and showing superficially but 
four pairs of leg®, pinchers and three pairs of ambulatories. 
The fifth pair of legs or fourth pair of ambulatories are much 
reduced ir me and usually carried concealed in the gill chambers . 
They are extremely well-bristled and are used for cleaning the 
gills and the gill chambers. This reduction in the last pair of 
legs makes it appear that the crabs have eight legs, one pair of 
claws, and three pairs of ambulatories. Hie "king crab* is sci- 
entifically known as Paralithodcs cantgcbr.tica (Tilesius) . Quit a 
a bit of information concerning this crab, particularly on the 
economic side, will be found in a special number of the Fishery 
Market lews published by the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 
May 19^2 supplement, vol. 4, Ho. pa, pages 1-108. I believe that 
the original edition is out of print, but that reprints nay be 
available. 
S incerely , 
WAS :SEK 
Waldo L. 3 atari, ti 
Head Curator 
Department of Zoology 
