Description:
Stone crabs are the largest of the mud crabs, growing to 4.5 - 5 inches carapace width.  The smooth carapace is convex and transversely oval, almost 1/3 wider than it is long. Four blunt teeth are present on the carapace.  Chelae are large, heavy, and unequal.  Inside the palms of the chelae are small patches of striae: rasplike, raised lines that are used to produce sound when the chelae are rubbed against the frontal margins of the carapace.  Color is typically dark blue to purple in juveniles, but as crabs age they take on a more red-brown appearance and are further decorated with gray or white spots.  Fingers of the chelae are red-brown to black.  The walking legs are banded in reddish brown and yellow, and their distal portions are hairy.

Habitat:
Stone crabs inhabit shallow subtidal areas with soft bottoms such as rocks, jetties, offshore reefs, oyster reefs and coral reefs.  Juveniles are often found in seagrasses and on oyster reefs. 

Similar Species:
Although stone crabs resemble other species of Xanthid crabs, they are distinguished by their much larger size and heavy, powerful chelae.   

Range:  
Stone crabs range from North Carolina south through Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula, including the Bahamas, Cuba and Jamaica.