Paraxanthias taylori (Stimpson, 1860)

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 244

Paraxanthias taylori (Stimpson, 1860)

( Fig. 55F, Pl. 14E)

Xanthodes taylori Stimpson, 1860: 208 , pl. 3, fig. 3.

Xanthias taylori .— Holmes 1900: 65. — Rathbun 1904: 185. — Weymouth 1910: 52, pl. 13, fig. 40. — Schmitt 1921: 246, fig. 147. — Johnson & Snook 1927: 389, fig. 344.

Paraxanthias taylori . — Rathbun 1930: 466, pl. 188, pl. 189, fig. 1. — Garth & Abbott 1980: 611, fig. 25.28. — Ricketts et al. 1985: 172, fig. 142. — Jensen 1995: 19, fig. 9. — Kuris et al. 2007: 642, pl. 320B.

Diagnosis. Carapace nearly flat posteriorly, front divided by wide, rounded notch, with 4 or 5 anterolateral teeth, anterior half of carapace bearing bumps or tubercles. Chelipeds often unequal, carpus covered with rounded tubercles, hand with tubercles in 7–8 longitudinal rows; fingers stout, black; gaping in major chela. Pereopods 2–5 covered with stiff setae. Carapace length 24.6 mm.

Color in life. Dark red, lighter below, fingers black. See color photograph by Jensen (1995) and pl. 14E.

Habitat and depth. Among rocks, kelp holdfasts or among tube mollusks, intertidal zone to 100 m.

Range. Monterey, California to Magdalena Bay , Baja California. Type locality Monterey .

Remarks. The lumpy rubble crab is most common from Santa Monica Bay southward into Baja California.