Romaleon antennarius (Stimpson), Schweitzer and Feldmann, 2000

Common name(s): Pacific rock crab, Common rock crab, Spot-bellied rock crab, Rock crab, Red rock crab
Synonyms:  Cancer antennarius
Phylum Arthropoda 
 Subphylum Crustacea 
  Class Malacostraca 
   Subclass Eumalacostraca 
    Superorder Eucarida 
     Order Decapoda 
      Suborder Pleocyemata 
       Infraorder Brachyura
        Superfamily Cancroidea 
         Family Cancridae
Romaleon antennarius, preserved specimen collected in California.
(Photo by: Dave Cowles May 2007)
Description:  This large Cancer crab has a dark tip to its claws (photo).  The dorsal surface of the carapace is nearly smooth or only slightly rough, but does not have rough tubercles or setae.  The carapace is at least 1.5 times as wide as long and frequently exceeds 6 cm.  The ventral surface of living individuals has red spots on a pale yellow background, and the dorsal surface is purplish red. The undersurface of the carapace also has setae, as does the dorsal surface of young ones (but not adults).  Carapace usually up to about 13 cm wide but may be up to 15 cm. The carapace has 11 anterolateral teeth and is widest at the 8th tooth. Some of the teeth curve forward.

How to Distinguish from Similar Species:  This is one of the two large local Cancer crabs with black tips on their chelae.  The other, Cancer productus, has a rough dorsal surface on its carapace and a few tubercles and has no ventral red spots.  Its carapace is also produced forward between the eyes.  Other Cancer crabs with black chelae, such as Glebocarcinus oregonensis, have a tuberculate carapace which is usually less than 6 cm wide and is not 1.5x or more as wide as long.

Geographical Range:  British Columbia to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California but rarely seen north of Coos Bay, Oregon. (But common in Barkley Sound on Vancouver Island)

Depth Range:  Intertidal to 91 m, usually less than 45 m.

Habitat:  Common in the low rocky intertidal.  Often found under rocks, sometimes partly buried in sand under the rocks.  Subtidally may be on gravel bottoms or in kelp beds.  Especially common on the exposed coast.

Biology/Natural History:  Food irncludes scavenged bits and animals such as Tegula funebralis and hermit crabs.  It captures the hermit crabs by gradually chipping away the edges of the hermit's shell until the hermit crab has nowhere else to hide.  Sometimes harvested by humans for crab legs.  In California, become mature in about 2 years.  Berried (egg-carrying) females are most often seen November to January.  The young have vivid color patterns on the carapace similar to those of C. productus young.  Most active at night.


 
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References:

Dichotomous Keys:
  Kozloff 1987, 1996
  Smith and Carlton, 1975
  Wicksten, 2009
 

General References:
  Brandon and Rokop, 1985
  Hinton, 1987
  Jensen, 1995
  Johnson and Snook, 1955
  Kozloff, 1993
  McConnaughey and McConnaughey, 1985
  Morris et al., 1980
  Niesen, 1994
  Niesen, 1997
  Ricketts et al., 1985
 

Scientific Articles:
 

Web sites:
 


General Notes and Observations:  Locations, abundances, unusual behaviors:



The claws of Romaleon antennarius are tipped in black.  Photo of a preserved specimen by Dave Cowles


Authors and Editors of Page:
Dave Cowles (2007):  Created original page