Latolambrus occidentalis (Dana, 1854)

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 226-227

Latolambrus occidentalis (Dana, 1854)

( Fig. 52F)

Cryptopodia occidentalis Dana, 1854: 430 .

Heterocrypta occidentalis . — Holmes 1900: 44. — Rathbun 1904: 170; 1925: 559, pls. 204, 205. — Weymouth 1910: 21, pl. 2, figs. 4, 5. — Schmitt 1921: 192, 119. — Johnson & Snook 1927: 363, fig. 316. — Garth 1958: 476, pl. Z, figs. 14, 14a; pl. 55, fig. 2. — Ricketts et al. 1985: 321, fig. 246. — Jensen 1995: 34, fig. 53. — Hendrickx 1999: 251, pl. 8C. — Kuris et al. 2007: 641, pl. 319 I.

Latulambrus occidentalis . — Tan & Ng 2007: 106.

Latcrypta occidentalis . — Tan & Ng 2007: 106, fig. 8. (Error, Corrigenda in Tan & Ng 2007).

Diagnosis. Rostrum subtriangular, subacute, short. Carapace broadly triangular; median region narrow, flattened upper surface bounded by 2 granulated ridges, converging to triangular point posteriorly. Cardiac region with 3- sided elevation, edges usually granulated. Posterolateral regions large, with S-shaped, granulated crest, pair minute tubercles in front of anterior bend of crest. Anterolateral margins straight to slightly concave in front, convex near middle, posterior portion extending outwards, backwards, arching over legs; teeth on anterior part small, irregular, but becoming larger posteriorly, there furnished with secondary denticles. Posterolateral margins transverse; posterior margin not produced over abdominal segments. Chelipeds long, triangular in cross-section; sides of merus convex, edge sharply granulate to toothed; carpus with 3–4 granulate lines; hand about as long as merus, angles prominent, dentate; sides convex; dactyl short but longer than fixed finger, when closed, outer margin at right angle to long axis of palm. Chelipeds folding against long triangular concave area of body, this area fringed by setae. Pereopods 2–5 compressed, strongly ridged above; dactyls narrow, curved. Male carapace length 21.0 mm, width 34.0 mm; female length 17.3 mm, width 26.8 mm.

Color in life. Grayish or brownish, sometimes with minute spots of white, purple; camouflaged like sand. Lower surface light yellow.

Habitat and depth. Sand, sand mixed with shell, rock, or mud; intertidal zone to 175 m, but usually at less than 100 m.

Range. Drake's Bay , Marin County, California to Dewey Channel, Baja California; also Gorda Bank, Gulf of California and Boca de Piedras, Sinaloa, Mexico. Type locality Monterey, California .

Remarks. The drawing by Dana (1854), copied by Schmitt (1921: fig. 119), is inaccurate. The inner crest of the cheliped and its dentate margin extends to the large teeth just distal to the margin of the dactyl. The dentate margins of the chelipeds are suggested vaguely. Hendrickx (1999: fig. 138H) provided a sketch of the carapace.