Brachyura and Anomura of Puget Sound — KNUDSEN 
25 
observed under both lighted and darkened con- 
ditions. Our records indicate that time of day 
has no effect on time of copulation, but there 
is no clear proof of this. Field records were 
made only at night, while laboratory animals 
copulating in the day time may have been con- 
ditioned to artificial lighting. 
In every case the pairs observed in the lab- 
oratory were on a level substrate, as the few 
rocks available to the crabs did not permit 
them to cling to a vertical surface. In nature all 
of the animals observed were either on vertical 
pilings or on vertical rock surfaces. This sug- 
gests that either a vertical or horizontal sub- 
strate is adequate, but that the vertical is prob- 
ably used more often. In either case, the body 
position of copulating pairs is always horizontal. 
The process of the initiation of copulation was 
not seen. Pairs observed in nature used the last 
two pairs of walking legs to hold onto the 
vertical surface of the substrate, and the chela 
and first two pairs of walking legs to hold the 
opposite sex. In one case copulation continued 
for over an hour after observation began. A pair 
carefully removed in copulo from a piling, in 
such a way that they could not separate, re- 
vealed that the male abdomen is positioned 
under that of the female and that sperm is trans- 
ferred by means of the first and second pleopods. 
Pugettia producta 
HABITAT: The kelp crab, Pugettia producta, 
is shown to have a range from British Columbia 
to Baja California by Garth (1958:188-189). 
I have seen this species in a multitude of dif- 
ferent habitats ranging from open kelp beds 
off California to unprotected rocky coast, pro- 
tected rocky coast, and into bays or estuaries. 
Baker (1912:100) states that at Laguna Beach, 
California, the young of the kelp crab are very 
common in tide pools clinging to ff Fucus ” and 
other brown algae, but mature specimens are 
only to be found in the kelp beds. Way ( 1917: 
370) found this crab abundant everywhere in 
the Friday Harbor region in eel grass, on kelp, 
and on the piles under docks, common to at 
least 40 fathoms. Other workers generally cite 
this species as living on kelp, on pilings, or in 
similar situations. In my experience this species 
not only uses a broad range of habitats but is 
seasonal in the micro-habitat that it occupies. 
On the open coast of California it was commonly 
found among the rocks or in the shorter species 
of kelp, such as Egregia, during the extreme 
winter period. In summer the adults migrated to 
the large floating kelp, leaving only the juveniles 
in the immediate intertidal zone, as described 
by Baker. In the Puget Sound area a similar 
phenomenon is observed in that this species be- 
comes extremely abundant on pilings during the 
cold parts of winter. The kelp crab is absent 
from pilings during summer months when the 
floating kelp, Nereocystis, is fully grown and 
abundant. This crab is also found in summer- 
time feeding amongst drifts of Sargassum on a 
smooth sandy substrate. Whether or not the 
kelp crab feeds in this manner during winter- 
time is not known. It is noteworthy, though, 
that the crabs disappear from pilings during 
summer months; where one will find a few 
specimens in summertime, he may find ten to 
fifteen in wintertime. The chief requirements 
for the habitat of this species seem to be abun- 
dant supplies of fresh water and of food. Being 
primarily a herbivore, it devours tremendous 
quantities of brown algae. Juveniles are most 
frequently found in Zoster a beds, as cited by 
Way. Adults are occasionally found there also, 
but the marine grass does not support the weight 
of the adult and thus the animals seldom stay 
within this zone. P. producta shows a distinct 
preference for some type of structure which will 
enable it to climb up above the substrate, and 
pilings or the floating kelp are most frequently 
inhabitated. 
FOOD AND FEEDING HABITS: About 15 speci- 
mens of P. producta were examined to determine 
their food content. The material in the stomach 
consisted principally of plant tissue. Members of 
the brown algae are the primary source of food. 
Among the most common species of algae are 
Fucus, Sargassum, Nereocystis, and, on occasion, 
Ectocarpus. Small amounts of red algae resem- 
bling Gigartina spp. and some species of fila- 
mentous red algae were also noted. During the 
extremes of winter, when most of the specimens 
are found on pilings, the diet of this crab seems 
to change markedly. In the field large specimens 
of Pugettia producta were engaged in breaking 
barnacle shells and consuming the tissue inside 
