Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Approximately 280 species of decapod crustaceans live along the west coast of North America between Puget Sound and Magdalena Bay, Baja California, Mexico. Species of the shrimp families Crangonidae, Hippolytidae and Pandalidae and crabs of the Cancridae, Lithodidae, Majidae and Paguridae are particularly abundant. Many of the genera and species either are unique to the North Pacific or are found only along the west coast of North America. Compared to other marine invertebrates, decapods tend to be large and recognizable. Larger crabs, shrimp and lobsters are fished commercially for food or bait. Many species are important in food webs, feeding on small mollusks, worms, crustaceans or detritus and in turn being eaten by fishes, birds, seals or sea lions. Intertidal species have been used in behavioral or physiological research on regeneration, color changes, respiration and symbiotic relationships. Interested visitors to kelp beds and tide pools photograph and observe decapods. One must identify a species in order to study it or label its photograph. Without the needed literature or training in the anatomy of decapod crustaceans, the interested biologist must seek out the few specialists who can identify northeastern Pacific decapods. The fauna of the northeastern Pacific differs greatly at the level of genera from that of tropical regions or the western Atlantic. A person familiar with decapods of other regions may have no idea where to find information on the fauna of the northeastern Pacific, especially if the pertinent literature is in Russian. It is my hope to remedy the lack of a technical guide to decapods of the warm and cold temperate regions of the northeastern Pacific. The format of the text follows that of Shrimps, Lobsters and Crabs of the Atlantic Coast, by A. Williams (1984). The work is focused on nomenclature and natural history of the species. Literature on mariculture, fisheries and physiology is not included. The text is directed to the biologist or advanced university student.