CRABS (BRACHYURA) OF THE GULF OF MEXICO

Crabs of the Gulf of Mexico 85
Habitat: normally among Sargassuni, floating on surface; also on other flotsam;
occasionally swimming freely.
Remarks: Larval stages from Bermuda were described by Lebour (1944) and
Coventry (1944) described Caribbean collections. Williams (1965) listed ovigerous
females in the northeast Gulf and in the West Indies from February to
August and from off Massachusetts in September. Regional lists include Florida
(Abele, 1970), Mississippi (Franks et al, 1972), Louisiana (Behre, 1950), Texas
(Leary, 1967), and the Gulf (Chace, 1956; Fotheringham and Brunenmeister,
1975). Autotomy and regeneration of chelae was studied by Zeleny (1908);
Hartnoll (1971) described swimming behavior.
Porlunus sehae (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) (Hist. Nat. Crust., vol. 1, p. 455)
Rathbun, 1930, p. 79, pis. 34-35; Rathbun, 1933, p. 46.
Range: Bermuda; Florida Keys and Straits; Dry Tortugas; south coast of
Cuba; Jamaica; Puerto Rico; St. Tliomas, Virgin Islands; Dominica; Netherlands
Antilles.
Depth: 4tol8m (2tolOfm).
Habitat: sand, rocky, and grass-covered sandy bottoms.
Porlunus spinicarpus (Stimpson, 1871) (Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 2: 148)
Hay & Shore, 1918, p. 429, pi. 33, fig. 3; Rathbun, 1930, p. 92„ pi. 45; Rathbun,
1933, p. 47; Chace, 1940, p. 32; Williams, 1965, p. 167, fig. 150; Holthuis, 1969,
p. 415, fig. 1; Felder, 1973a, p. 60, pi. 8, figs, 13-14.
Range: North and South Carolina; southeast Horida; Florida Ke5rs and Dry
Tortugas; west coast of Florida to south Texas; north and south coasts of Cuba;
Puerto Rico; Trinidad; Caribbean coast of Colombia; Guianas to Santa Catarina,
Brazil.
Depth: 9 to 550 m (5 to 300 fm).
Habitat: on sand, gravel, coral, broken shell, and mud substrates.
Remarks: Larval development was described by Bookhout and Costlow (1974).
Williams (1965) listed ovigerous females from Texas in November. Rathbun
(1930) noted that despite large numbers of this crab in the Florida Keys, fish
stomachs do not contain this species, which she attributes to the Crab's extendable
carpal spines. Pearse (1932a) reported the presence of the barnacle, Dichelastis
sinvala^ on crabs from North Carolina. Holthuis (1969) expanded the
previously known depth range to 550 m and he reported ovigerous females from
the Caribbean from January to September, with some females carrying sacculinid
barnacles. Musick and McEachran (1972) collected this crab from a depth of
101 m in Chesapeake Bight. Regional lists included Florida (Hulings, 1961;
Abele, 1970), Mississippi (Richmond, 1962; 1962; FrankseZo/., 1972),Louisiana
(Dawson, 1966), and Texas (Hildebrand, 1954; Chace, 1956; Lear)^ 1967).
Listed from Brazil by Rodrigues da Costa (1968a), Coelho (1971a) and Coelho
and Ramos (1972).
Porlunus spinimanus Latreille, 1819 (Nouv. Diet. Hist. Nat., ed. 2, vol. 28, p.
47)
Hay & Shore, 1918, p. 429, pi. 33, fig. 4; Rathbun, 1930, p. 62, text-fig. 10, pis.