''Romaleon antennarium'' (formerly ''Cancer antennarius''), commonly known as the Pacific, brown or California rock crab, is a
crab of the genus ''
Romaleon'' found on the western coast of
North America.
Description
''Romaleon antennarium'' has a fan-shaped
carapace with eleven teeth to either side of the eyestalks, the widest point falling at the eighth or ninth tooth. The
cheliped
A chela ()also called a claw, nipper, or pinceris a pincer-like organ at the end of certain limbs of some arthropods. The name comes from Ancient Greek , through New Latin '. The plural form is chelae. Legs bearing a chela are called chelipeds. ...
s are quite stout with the black tips bent downward. The antennae are long and prominent, accounting for the specific name. The dorsal surfaces of adults are uniformly red, but the ventral surface of the carapace is spotted.
This species is easily confused with the red rock crab, ''
Cancer productus''. They can be distinguished by the less prominent antennae, less robust claws, and lack of ventral spots on the latter.
Fishery
''R. antennarium'' is harvested by sport and commercial fishermen in California, mostly from
Morro Bay
Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 census. The town ...
south. The California rock crab fishery is made up of three species - the yellow rock crab (''
C. anthonyi''), the brown rock crab (''R. antennarium''), and the red rock crab (''
C. productus''). Rock crab landings for 1999 were 790,000 pounds and have averaged 1.2 million pounds per year from 1991-1999.
References
Top and Bottom Views of the Rock Crab- ''Dana Point Fish Company''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q6496948
Cancroidea
Crustaceans described in 1856