First Records and Range Extensions of Crabs in California Waters

Abstract

Range extensions are reported for 14 species of anomuran and brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda), six of them new to California waters. Three cold-temperate species not previously known south of the Monterey Bay area were found to occur south of Point Conception at San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands, where a strong northern element is present in the fauna. Two species with their known northern limit of range near San Francisco Bay. and one species known only as far south as Oregon, were collected in the area of unusually cold water around Cape Mendocino.