NC Physiographic Region(s): southern coastal plain

River Basin(s): Lumber, Waccamaw, lower Cape Fear (absent from Northeast Cape Fear)

Adult Habitat: “lentic and lotic situations and burrows” (Hobbs Jr. 1989); slow, slack, or stagnant areas (like pools) in piedmont streams; associated with vegetation or woody debris in swamps; ditches or lakes

Juvenile Habitat: same as adults but more associated with littoral areas

Reproductive Season: n/a

Species associates: P. acutus, P. blandingii, P. braswelli, possibly C. latimanus

Conservation status: placed on North Carolina Watch List (W.F. Adams and J.E. Cooper in Clamp 1999); considered by Taylor et al. (1996) to be Currently Stable throughout its range

Identification references: Cooper 1998, Hobbs Jr. 1989, Hobbs 1991

Taxonomic Description:

body shape: cylindrical, adult size is fairly small
coloration: reddish-brown or chocolate with narrow red-orange striped down dorsal cephalic carapace; may be mottling on carapace
spines: strong cervical, cephalic, branchiostegal, and with or without marginal spines
rostrum: fairly short with short acumen; with or without marginal spines
areola: narrow
chelae: not robust
other characteristics: telson usually with 3 or more spines on each side; interrupted cervical groove
form I male gonopod: gonopods very assymetrical; cephalic and mesial processes sub-spiculiform; mesial process long and curved laterally around caudal side of appendage (mesially), perpendicular to main shaft