Cancer productus Randall, 1840

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 228

Cancer productus Randall, 1840

( Fig. 54G, H; Pl. 13E)

Cancer productus Randall, 1840: 116 . — Rathbun 1904: 175, 1930: 203, text fig. 32. — Weymouth 1910: 40, pl. 8, figs. 20–24. — Schmitt 1921: 220, text fig. 136. — Johnson & Snook 1927: 378, figs. 306, 307, 330. — Phillips 1939: 27, fig. 19. — Nations 1975: 40, figs. 13A, 13B, 14A, 14B, 39-1, 39-2. — Word & Charwat 1975: 53.— Garth & Abbott 1980: 607, fig. 25.22. — Hart 1982: 206, fig. 84. — Ricketts et al. 1985: 134, fig. 105. — Jensen 1995: 27, fig. 32. — Schweitzer & Feldmann 228. — Kuris et al. 2007: 641, pl. 320, fig. D.

Diagnosis. Front markedly produced beyond outer orbital angles, with 5 subequal teeth, fronto-orbital width about 0.2 times width of carapace. Carapace very broad, widest at anterolateral tooth 9 tooth 10 present. Surface of carapace somewhat convex, smooth to minutely granulate. Carpus of cheliped with large tooth at antero-internal angle, smaller one at upper hinge joint, palm with ridge along dorsal surface, granulate ridges on palm. Carapace length to 66.4 mm.

Color in life. Juveniles highly variable: carapace red, orange, striped with white, red; mottled, gray or gray with median stripe of red; legs striped or red; see color photographs by Garth & Abbott (1980: figs. 25.22a–25.22h) and Jensen (1995: fig. 32). Adult dark red above, white to yellowish below. Chelae with dark apices.

Habitat and depth. Tide pools, rocks in sand, rocky reefs, breakwaters; intertidal zone to 79 m.

Range. Kodiak I., Alaska to San Diego, California. Older reports from Magdalena Bay, Baja California are unconfirmed. Type locality " western America. ”

Remarks. The red rock crab can have a carapace width of up to 173.5 mm. The exoskeleton is heavily calcified. The crab is one of the largest intertidal crabs in California and Oregon, as well as one of the heaviest. It is edible but not sufficiently common to support a commercial fishery.