Rhithropanopeus harrisii ( Gould, 1841 )

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 242

Rhithropanopeus harrisii ( Gould, 1841)

(Pl. 14B)

Pilumnus harrisii Gould, 1841: 326 .

Rhithropanopeus harrisii . — Rathbun 1898b: 273; 1930: 456, pl. 183, figs. 7, 8. — Garth & Abbott 1980: 610, fig. 25.27. — Williams 1984: 401, figs. 316-317. — Ricketts et al. 1985: 296. — Jensen 1995: 18, fig. 5. — Kuris et al. 2007: 642.

Diagnosis (after Williams 1984). Carapace subquadrate, about as long as wide, sparsely pubescent toward anterolateral angles, lines of granules across carapace. Front almost straight, slightly notched.First anterolateral tooth fused with postorbital angle, followed by 2–3 other anterolateral teeth. Chelipeds unequal. Carpus with moderately developed internal tooth. Major chela with short fixed finger, strongly curved dactyl. Minor chela with proportionately longer fixed finger, long straight dactyl. Pereopods 2–5 long, slender, compressed, somewhat setose. Male carapace length 15.6 mm, female carapace length 12.4 mm.

Color in life. Brown to pale gray or yellowish above, pale below; fingers of chelae light-colored throughout their length. The color notes are from crabs from various locations in Texas.

Habitat and depth. Rocks, oyster shells, or debris, often in estuarine areas, intertidal zone to 36.6 m, but usually shallow.

Range. Native to southwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence , Canada to Veracruz , Mexico; introduced into parts of Europe and San Francisco and Coos Bays on west coast of U.S.A. Type locality Cambridge Marshes and Charles River , Massachusetts .