NC Physiographic Region(s): piedmont and coastal plain

River Basin(s): Neuse (absent from piedmont), Tar-Pamlico

Adult Habitat: small to large streams; under cover; rock substrates; taken from areas when water was extremely low

Juvenile Habitat: n/a

Reproductive Season: wide range of spring and fall months

Species associates: C. diogenes, C. latimanus, C. sp. C, and P. acutus

Conservation status: state-listed as Special Concern in North Carolina (J.E. Cooper in Clamp1999)

Identification references: Cooper and Cooper 1995; Cooper 1999; also see description written by J.E. Cooper in Clamp (1999)

Taxonomic Description:

body shape: cylindrical; can grow large but most adults are relatively small in size
coloration: carapace tan to forest green; dark, often mottled saddle; orange, crimson, and black highlights (same on chelae fingertips)
spines: cervical, branchiostegal, and marginal spines strong; occasionally hepatic spines or tubercles
rostrum: deeply excavate; with conspicuous acumen and strong marginal spines; margins thickened and parallel
areola: fairly wide and punctate
chelae: inflated palm; dorsal surfaces of palm and fingers usually with setae; mesial margin of palm with double row of tubercles, mesialmost row subserrate; tuft of setae at base of fingers; well-defined dorsolongitudinal ridges on fingers
other characteristics: suborbital angle obsolete or nearly so
form I male gonopod: length of gonopod about half of total carapace length; cephalic surface with shoulder; terminal elements long and slender; corneous central projection smoothly tapered and over half length of gonopod; mesial process somewhat spatulate and over 40% length of gonopod