Hepatus epheliticus

Description

Hepatus epheliticus grows to 3 in across the carapace, which is covered in large patches of red color, which may join up into lines or other patterns. The spots are outlined in a darker color; in some crabs, only the darker rings are visible.

Distribution

The range of H. epheliticus extends from the Chesapeake Bay southwards, including the whole of the Gulf of Mexico, and as far south as Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Ecology and life cycle

Hepatus epheliticus lives at depths of up to 46 m on sandy and muddy substrates. It often carries the sea anemone Calliactis tricolor on its back, or lies buried in the sand, with only its eyes exposed.

Reproduction occurs in summer, as shown by the occurrence of "berried" (egg-bearing) females. The eggs are held by the female until they hatch; there are five planktonic zoea stages.

Taxonomy

Hepatus epheliticus was first described, under the name Cancer epheliticus, by Carl Linnaeus in his 1763 work Centuria Insectorum, based on specimens from Carolina sent to him by Alexander Garden. Subjective synonyms of H. epheliticus include Cancer decorus, published by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1803, and Cancer vanbenedenii, published by Jan Adrian (or Janus Adrianus) Herklots in 1852.

Hepatus epheliticus is known by several common names, including calico box crab, calico crab, Gulf calico crab, and Dolly Varden crab.

References

References

1. Edward E. Ruppert. (1988). "Seashore animals of the Southeast: a guide to common shallow-water invertebrates of the southeastern Atlantic Coast". [[University of South Carolina Press]].
2. Harriet Perry. (April 2, 2004). "A Picture Guide to Shelf Invertebrates from the Northern Gulf of Mexico".
3. Susan B. Rothschild. (2004). "Beachcomber's Guide to Gulf Coast Marine Life: Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida". [[Taylor Trade Publications]].
4. Eugene H. Kaplan. (1999). "A Field Guide to Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores: Cape Hatteras to the Gulf Coast, Florida, and the Caribbean". [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]].
5. Maria L. Negreiros-Fransozo. (2008). "The megalopa and early juvenile development of ''Hepatus pudibundus'' (Crustacea: Brachyura: Aethroidea) reared from neuston samples". [[Revista Brasileira de Zoologia]].
6. Gilberto Rodriguez. (1993). "History of carcinology". [[CRC Press]].
7. Carl Linnaeus. (1763). "Centuria Insectorum Rariorum".
8. Peter K. L. Ng. (2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world". [[Raffles Bulletin of Zoology]].
9. Gilbert L. Voss. (2002). "Seashore Life of Florida and the Caribbean". [[Courier Dover Publications]].