Unid Crab at Casino Pt, Catalina, SoCal

[drbill]

OK, I'm stumped since I can't find this one in my books. I've never seen it before this summer, at least not that my "mature" brain can remember. First saw this crab diving with my son some time back. Then encountered it on two of my recent night dives. Never seen it during the day. Maybe those of you who dive on the mainland (yo know with all that surf and gritty sand) recognize it. Note: carapace was 2-3" across.

 

[Merry]

That's one cool crab, Dr. Bill. Is it decorated with sponge?

The ultimate crab expert, Mary Wicksten, will likely know what it is. [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]wicksten@mail.bio.tamu.edu[/FONT]

 

[drbill]

Apparently it is a sponge covering it... my eyes couldn't tell (even with my glasses on).

Greg Jensen who wrote "Pacific Coast Crabs and Shrimps" thinks it is a juvenile Loxorhynchus crispatus according to this response from Janna Nichols: "Hard to be 100% certain when it's covered with sponge like that, but the position of the lumps on the carapace suggest a juvenile Loxorhynchus crispatus. The other possibilities are Scyra and Pelia, but the legs and overall shape don't look right for Pelia and the bumps are more like a Lox than a Scyra."

Thanks for Mary's e-mail address, Merry. I sent the pictures to her.