| Diagnosis |
Carapace broadly egg-shaped, narrow posteriorly and greatly inflated anterolaterally in adults; lateral margins not sharply defines; fronto-orbital distance (space between outer orbital angles) about 2/3 of maximum carapace width in adult males, nearly 3/4 in females. Pincers distinctly unequal, relatively smooth; fingers meeting only at tips, more gaping in larger hand, size of larger hand increasing disproportionately with age, especially in males. Walking legs sparsely hairy on margins, dactyls with 4 rows of spines. Color: juveniles dark brown; transitional stage dark purple and orange; adults lavender blue, females change to white or dull yellow at time of ovulation (once attained, color remains through autumn and winter in Florida population); males sometimes undergo less frequent and usually incomplete color changes. |
