Clibanarius tricolor (Gibbes, 1850)

(Figs 2 C, 6A)

Pagurus tricolor Gibbes, 1850: 189 .

Clibanarius tricolor .— Stimpson, 1858: 234.— Benedict, 1901a: 142, pl. 6, fig. 2.— Verrill, 1908: 447, figs 61–63.— Schmitt, 1924: 94; 1935: 200, fig. 61; 1939: 26.— Boone, 1927: 77.— Provenzano, 1959: 366, fig. 5A; 1960: 119; 1961: 153.— Coelho & Ramos-Porto, 1986: 51.— Rieger, 1998: 422.— Melo, 1999: 54, fig. 12.—McLaughlin et al., 2010: 20.

Clibanarius brachyops Bouvier, 1918: 9, fig. 3.

Clibanarius tricolor tricolor .— Forest & Saint Laurent, 1968: 102, fig. 61.— Coelho & Ramos, 1972: 169.

Material examined. Brazil: Pernambuco—Fernando de Noronha, 1 spec. (MZUSP-7216); Buraco do Inferno, 1 spec. (MZUSP-7274); Praia Boldró, 1 spec. (MZUSP-7273); 8 spec. (MZUSP-7272); Praia de Santo Antônio, 104 spec. (MZUSP-8648). Espírito Santo—Camburi, 6 spec. (MZUSP-8867).

Diagnosis. Shield subquadrate, longer than broad. Rostrum overreaching the lateral projections. Second right ambulatory leg longer than the corresponding on left side; no longitudinal stripes on ambulatory legs; a transverse orange band at proximal end of dactyl, propodus and carpus of each leg, except for the dactyl, with dominant color blue.

Distribution. Western Atlantic—Bermuda, Florida, Gulf of Mexico, Antilles, Colombia and Brazil (Atol das Rocas, Fernando de Noronha and Espírito Santo).

Remarks. Clibanarius tricolor and C. antillensis are very close morphologically and when preserved specimens have no trace of color, the distinction between the two species can be difficult or even impossible. Nevertheless, specimens of two species with intact color pattern can be easily distinguished. Among the species of Clibanarius occurring in Brazil, only C. tricolor has transverse orange bands at the proximal ends of segments of the ambulatory legs; all other species show a pattern of coloration with longitudinal bands.