Romaleon antennarius ( Stimpson, 1856 )

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 233

Romaleon antennarius ( Stimpson, 1856)

( Fig. 54A, Pl. 13H)

Cancer antennarius Stimpson, 1856: 96 . — Holmes 1900: 49. — Rathbun 1904: 176; 1930: 210, pl. 92, pl. 93, fig. 2; text fig. 33. — Weymouth 1910: 47, pl. 10, fig. 31. — Schmitt 1921: 224, pl. 35, fig. 3; pl. 36, fig. 8; text fig. 137. — Johnson & Snook 1927: 378, figs. 331, 332. — Nations 1975: 31, figs. 13C, D, 14C, D, 32-5, 32-6. — Garth & Abbott 1980: 602, fig. 25.16. — Word & Charwat 1975: 42.— Ricketts et al. 1985: 133, fig. 104. — Breen & Wicksten 1990: 10. — Jensen 1995: 28, fig. 35. — Kuris et al. 2007: 642, pl. 320, fig. H.

Romaleon antennarius . — Schweitzer & Feldmann 2000: 243.

Diagnosis. Carapace smooth, front not produced, with 3 median teeth. Carapace widest at anterolateral tooth 8, 11 anterolateral teeth present. Merus of third maxillipeds with distal margin nearly transverse, angles rounded. Chelipeds may be slightly unequal in size. Carpus of cheliped with single spine above, carpus, palm bearing faint ridges, movable finger smooth. Pereopods 2–5 stout, usually setose. Juveniles may be more setose than adults. Male carapace length 61.7 mm, female to 54.1 mm.

Color in life. Dark reddish above, yellowish with red spots below. Fingers of chelae dark. The color notes are from crabs from Moss Beach, San Mateo County, California .

Habitat and depth. Under rocks set in sand, tide pools, among sea grasses, breakwaters, rocky reefs; intertidal zone to 40 m.

Range. Coos Bay, Oregon to Todos Santos Is., Baja California. Reports from British Columbia are unconfirmed. Type locality San Francisco Bay .

Remarks. The rock crab is one of the most common larger crabs in California and Oregon. It is taken by sport fishermen as well as predatory fishes, octopuses and sea otters.