Metacarcinus anthonyi ( Rathbun, 1897 )

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 230

Metacarcinus anthonyi ( Rathbun, 1897)

( Fig. 53A, Pl. 13F)

Cancer anthonyi Rathbun, 1897: 111 . — Rathbun 1904: 176, pl. 6, fig. 2; 1930: 218, pl. 94, fig. 3. — Weymouth 1910: 49, pl. 11, fig. 33. — Schmitt 1921: 227, pl. 35, fig. 1.— Johnson & Snook 1927: 379, fig. 334. — Phillips 1939: 29, fig. 20. — Nations 1975: 32, figs. 13E, F, 14E, F, 35-5, 35-6. — Word & Charwat 1975: 44.— Garth & Abbott 1980: 604, fig. 25.17. — Wicksten 1980c: 360. — Jensen 1995: 28, fig. 33. — Kuris et al. 2007: 642.

Metacarcinus anthonyi . — Schweitzer & Feldmann 2000: 235.

Diagnosis. Front narrow, not produced, with 3 teeth. Carapace granulate, convex, widest at anterolateral tooth 9, anterolateral teeth broad, last 3 teeth with sharp apices; anterolateral tooth 10 indistinct. Merus of third maxillipeds oblong, anterior margins slightly oblique. Carpus of chelipeds with single distal spine; hand smooth or granulated, without spines. Pereopods 2–5 sparsely setose to smooth. Male carapace length 52.1 mm.

Color in life. Brownish-red to yellowish-orange, lighter beneath, without spots; blotch of orange on inner surface of palm of chela, fingers of chela black. Juveniles may have mottled carapace with markings of white, brown or tan. The color notes are from crabs from Cabrillo Beach, Los Angeles County, California.

Habitat and depth. Tide pools, among rocks in bays, estuaries, intertidal zone to 132 m.

Range. Humboldt Bay , California to Magdalena Bay, Baja California , but uncommon north of Los Angeles County, California . Type locality Long Beach , California .

Remarks. The yellow crab is a large, heavily calcified intertidal crab. It seems to prefer slightly warmer waters than C. productus and Romaleon antennarius ( Stimpson, 1856) ; the other similar large crabs that live in rocky habitats. Records north of San Pedro usually come from bays and harbors rather than the open coast.