Pinnixa littoralis Holmes, 1894

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 252

Pinnixa littoralis Holmes, 1894

( Fig. 58D, E)

Pinnixa littoralis Holmes, 1894: 571 , pl. 20, figs. 14–16. — Rathbun 1904: 188; 1917: 145, pl. 31, figs. 5–8, text fig. 89, 90. — Weymouth 1910: 58 (part). — Schmitt 1921: 260, pl. 40, figs. 5–8, text fig. 155. — Johnson & Snook 1927: 393, figs. 349, 356. — Garth & Abbott 1980: 616, fig. 25.36 — Hart 1982: 236, fig. 98. — Ricketts et al. 1985: 377. — Campos-Gonzalez 1986: 238. — Zmarzly1992: 693, fig. 9. — Jensen 1995: 31, fig. 42.

Diagnosis. Carapace about twice as long as wide, pointed at sides, flattened above, with transverse depression behind median region. Orbits pointed at outer angle. Hands of chelipeds compressed, fingers gaping, especially in adult male, dactyl strongly curved, fingers usually without teeth. Pereopods 2–5 slender, pereopod 4 thickest. Propodus of pereopods 2–5 elongate, dactyl strongly curved, shorter than propodus. Merus of pereopod 4 broad. Dactyl of pereopod 5 slightly exceeding end of merus of pereopod 4 when extended. Carapace length 4.5 mm.

Color in life. Grayish white, pereopods 2–5 often with brownish-tipped ( Schmitt 1921).

Habitat and depth. Usually living in mantle cavity of pelecypods, rarely with tube anemones (order Ceriantharia ); intertidal to 91 m.

Range. Sitka , Alaska to Santa Maria, Baja California, Mexico. Type locality Bodega Bay, California .

Remarks. Juveniles of P. littoralis and P. faba may be nearly impossible to differentiate ( Zmarzly 1992).