Podochela lobifrons Rathbun, 1893

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 215-216

Podochela lobifrons Rathbun, 1893

( Fig. 50A, B)

Podochela (Coryrhynchus) lobifrons Rathbun, 1893: 226 .

Podochela lobifrons . — Garth 1958: 116, pl. H, fig. 1; pl. 8, fig. 1. — Hendrickx 1999: 34, fig. 19.

Podochela barbarensis Rathbun,1924: 1 ; 1925: 54, pl. 20, figs. 3, 4, text fig. 13.

Diagnosis. Rostrum long, slender, 0.5–0.6 postrostral carapace length. Carapace setose, cardiac region with large conical elevation, 2 median gastric tubercles, prominent strap-shaped spine on hepatic region, small, similar one on pterygostomian ridge, small postorbital spine, orbital arch finely spinulous. Antenna overreaching rostrum, movable articles of penduncle slender, basal article with spinulous outer margin. Two blunt median tubercles on abdomonal segment 1. Chelipeds spinulous, spine at outer distal margin of merus, knob on outer surface of carpus, chela widest behind middle of palm, one tooth on finger of cheliped at middle of gape. Pereopod 2 as much as 3 times carapace length, very slender, with slender dactyl. Pereopods 3–5 with curved dactyls. Male carapace length 21.5 mm, female 18.3 mm.

Color in life. Brown, chelipeds banded with red, fingers of the chelae mostly cream with patches of red. The color is based on a crab photographed in the La Jolla Submarine Canyon, San Diego County, California .

Habitat and depth. Sand, rocks, among alge, 2–230 m.

Range. Point Mugu, California to San Cristobal Bay, Baja California; Angel de la Guardia I. to outer Gorda Bank, Gulf of California. Type locality off Abreojos Point, Baja California .

Remarks. In southern California, P. lobifrons usually occurs deeper than E. hemphilli . Freshly caught crabs often are coated with mud, foraminiferans and debris.

According to the revision of the species of Podochela by Coelho (2006), it seems that this species should be transferred to the genus Coryrhynchus Kingsley, 1879, but the species is not mentioned in this work. Rathbun (1893) used Coryrhynchus as a subgenus without explanation. Specimens should be examined to determine if a change in the generic designation is warranted.