Pierce County
Tacoma, WA
Molt Search Report
User Submitted Data
Observation Type: Timed survey
Molts/crabs found: Yes
Photos of just 2 molts are what we assumed to be Dungeness, there are 2 photos of the dorsal side and one photo of the central side for sexing. Partial molts (<50% of carapace) were included in the photo but not included in our count. [The two suspected Dungeness were gracefuls, edited to reflect that. -HB]
1 Comment. Leave new
Thanks for taking the time to do a Molt Search! Your photo with that item for scale is perfect! The two crabs you identified as Dungeness crab are actually similar-looking graceful crabs. I’ve gone ahead and made some corrections based on your great photo. I look for that widest 10th tooth on Dungeness and distinguish them from their look-alikes by checking the notch just beyond the widest 9th tooth of the graceful crab (which I often have to feel for with my fingernail). Here are some side-by-side images in case they can be helpful and fun to study for next time: https://wsg.washington.edu/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/MEGRvCAPRvMEMA-Slides.pdf Always happy to take a look and offer ID support, so don’t sweat ID mixups and hope you enjoy it out there next time!