Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371
Author
Wicksten, Mary K.
text
Zootaxa
2012
2012-07-04
3371
1
307
journal article
11755334
Loxorhynchus grandis
Stimpson, 1857
(
Fig. 51B
, Pl. 13C)
Loxorhynchus grandis
Stimpson, 1857a: 85
. —
Holmes 1900: 29
. —
Rathbun 1904: 175
. —
Weymouth 1910: 31
, pl. 5, fig. 14. —
Schmitt 1921
: text figs. 132a, b. —
Rathbun 1925: 198
, pls. 64, 65, text fig. 80. —
Johnson & Snook 1927: 372
, fig. 328. —
Garth 1958: 257
, pl. P, fig. 2; pl. 29. —
Wicksten 1979b: 37
. —
Garth & Abbott 1980: 600
, fig. 25.10. —
Jensen 1995: 24
, fig. 23. — Hendrickx 1999: 141, pl. 5D. — Hobday & Rumsey 1991: 1. —
Kuris
et al
. 2007: 641
.
Diagnosis.
Rostrum slightly longer than broad, much deflexed, horns convex above, below and separated for more than half their length, with rows of hooked setae except in mature adults. Carapace rounded, inflated, covered with small, conical tubercles which may be worn in mature adults; juveniles with abundant hooked setae. Stout spine on margin of hepatic region, another just below margin. Preorbital spine large, often double pointed; postorbital spine subconical, acute. Basal antennal segment with anteroexternal spine, tubercle on outer margin; another on anterior margin at insertion of next segment. Chelipeds of adult male large, tuberculate; hand with palm inflated; female with shorter chelipeds, palm not inflated; chela slender, with narrow fingers in juveniles. Pereopods 2–5 subcylindrical, with few tubercles, propodi with grooves above, dactyls short, stout.
Male
carapace length
190 mm
, width
145 mm
; female length
114 mm
, width
86 mm
.
Color in life.
Brown, becoming bluish-gray to chalky white in aging adults; ventral surface white. The color notes are from crabs from
San Pedro
and Santa
Catalina I.
, California. Stimpson's color notes as given by
Garth (1958: 259)
surely were of a dead or preserved crab.
Habitat and depth.
Rocks, pilings, subtidal sand flats, sand dollar beds; lowest intertidal zone to
125 m
.
Range
.
Cordell Bank,
California
to Thurloe Head,
Baja California
.
Type
locality near
San Francisco
,
California
.
Remarks.
Juvenile
L
.
grandis
usually are almost impossible to detect in their natural habitat. A dense coat of bryozoans, sponges, algae, hydroids, and pieces of gorgonians or other materials covers their bodies. As the animals grow and mature, the hooked setae are lost or worn off. Mature males and females do not decorate at all.
Divers have seen adult
L
.
grandis
congregating into mating "pods" in subtidal areas near the Redondo Submarine Canyon and
La Jolla. There
is a fishery for them in southern
California
.
Loxorhynchus grandis
is the largest and heaviest crab found in
California
.