(Dana, 1852)
Diagnosis:
Rostrum ending in three teeth, the median tooth broad and triangular, the lateral teeth much shorter. A groove between the median and lateral teeth, also a very shallow median longitudinal groove. Lower surface of rostrum without spines. Anterolateral border of carapace with a very small tooth at the level of the eye. First pereiopods subchelate. Dactylus of adult male on inner surface with a longitudinal row of 6-12 tubercles, that are placed close together. Carpus with some anterior spines. Merus with a subdistal anterodorsal spine. Coxae without spines.
Type:
Type locality of Gebia pugettensis: "in freto Pugettensi, Oregoniae" (= Puget Sound, Washington State, USA). Type material in USNM, now lost.
Type locality of Gebia californica: "from the coast near Monterey", California, USA. Type material probably lost.
Geographical Distribution:
N.E. Pacific region from Valdez Narrows, Alaska, USA (about 60°N) to Morro Bay, California, USA (about 35°N).
Habitat and Biology:
Burrowing in muddy sand of the intertidal zone, sometimes under rocks. Burrows Y-shaped, and about 0.6 to 1.0 m deep.
Size:
Total body length up to 11 cm (Williams, 1986a, who stated the males to be smaller than females). Hart ( 1982: 53), on the contrary gave the total length as up to 15 cm (males), 10.5 cm (females).
Interest to Fisheries:
The species is dug for bait in California (Frey, 1971: 9, 10), perhaps also in other areas. Williams (1986a: 36) listed a specimen obtained in 1876 on the "San Francisco Market". According to Hart (1982: 53) the species is "of some economic importance due to burrowing activities. On certain types of oyster beds, young oysters can be smothered by the mud displaced by these animals. Also dykes designed to retain a layer of sea water may be riddled with burrows through which water drains at low tide".