CRINCH! The Crab of the Day!

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! THE BONUS #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 01/28/2016: Allopontonia brockii or Brook's Urchin Shrimp is a small commensal shrimp in the family Palaemonidae. I threw this guy in with those squat lobsters, as he’s always getting confused for one! A. brockii is OFTEN mistaken for Allogalathea elegans (crinoid squat lobster) due to its long chelipeds, the visible shape of its body, its abdomen and ‘tail’ is always slightly curved under its body, and this shrimp’s incredible coloration. Shrimp in Lobster’s clothing?

Allopontonia brockii is widespread through the Indo-Pacific, Red Sea included, and the eastern cost of the Pacific Ocean where it lives commensally on various urchin species including Asthenosoma varium, the Fire Sea Urchin.

http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Allo ... ockii.html
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=514476
https://youtu.be/f1KA9b6MuI8?t=163

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 01/29/2016: Acanthocarpus alexandri or the Gladiator Box Crab found in the North American Atlantic; Massachusetts, through the Gulf of Mexico to Brazil. This family Calappidae species is named both for the spiky protrusions on its forearms, AND for its competitive demeanor. Found on the fine sand of soft reef bottoms, this little guy is one of the meaner beasties in a given area prying apart reefs and wrecking havoc on cockles, clams, and other shellfish. The only thing meaner is toothy fishes like puffers and eels which can defeat (eat!) this guy in the arena!

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=158044
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=98355

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 01/30/2016: The Coarsehand Lady Crab or Ovalipes stephensoni is a stunning family Polybiidae swimming crab found near shelves in the Western Atlantic Ocean. This brightly colored; aggressive, swimming crab has a purple spotted carapace which appears iridescent under direct sunlight. Like all swimming crabs, the last pair of legs are modified into paddles and are perfectly adapted for… swimming, duh. This crab is often seen partially buried in sand with only its eyestalks protruding as a means of avoiding predation by Oyster Toadfish, Tautog, Dogfish, Striped Bass, and a variety of American Lobsters.

Little known crab fact: All true crabs technically have TAILS! These highly adapted structures are typically tucked underneath the body, against the abdomen. The tail of the female lady crab is shaped like a rounded triangle, while the tail of the male is pointed and narrow. Female crabs use their tails to cover their eggs during mating season.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=158435
http://eol.org/pages/312936/overview

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 01/31/2016: The Long-legged Rock Crab, aka Grapsus longitarsus is a grapsidae family ‘lightfoot crab’ found in Somalia, Gesira, French Polynesia, and the South Pacific. This semi-terrestrial scuttler is both a garbage-crab, (detritivore) and an opportunity hunter, capable of climbing trees for an easy meal. First described by American Science-Jack-of-all-Trades, James Dwight Dana in 1851, the species was named ‘longitarsus’ in Latin, meaning “lateral feet.” Coincidentally, there are a BUNCH of Arachnids, beetles, and lice with this word in their taxonomy.

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... lue=660757
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=444460

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/01/2016: Libinia dubia, The Longnose Spider Crab (Sometimes the Doubtful Spider Crab) is member of a genus of decorator crabs in the family Epialtidae, containing twelve total species. Longnose Spiders range from Cape Cod to southern Texas, Cuba, and the Bahamas. Found primarily on sandy bottoms and seagrass meadows, L. dubia is a scavenger and detrivore. Like all decorator crabs, it attempts to avoid being eaten by sticking unpalatable seaweeds and invertebrates onto its carapace, including brown alga and sun sponges. This camouflage doesn’t work so great with adult crabs, instead, if finds safety by riding on the backs of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) or by hiding inside the bells of cannonball jellies. (Stomolophus meleagris)

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=107335
http://www.sms.si.edu/irlspec/Libini_dubia.htm

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The aforementioned crab riding on a cannonball jelly:

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/02/2016: Pagurus pollicaris or the Flatclaw Hermit Crab. (Occasionally the Gray Hermit Crab) is a routinely found Atlantic coast crab which inhabits the shells of shark eye snails and whelks. It’s common for these crabs to have a shellmate via a commensal relationship with the zebra flatworm. (Stylochus ellipticus) P. pollicaris feeds on organic matter, algae, and dead stuff, while being predated upon by large fishes and Thickskin sharks! (Carcharhinus plumbeus)

Flatclaw hermits have the distinction of being “the most common species of hermit crabs in Rhode Island.” See? `You learned somethin’!

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=97809
http://eol.org/pages/1039884/overview

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/03/2016: Pinnixa monodactyla or the Thumbless Pea Crab is a unique Southern Atlantic semi-parasitic species found primarily around Florida. This nasty bugger lives the bulk of its life inside the mantle of various muscles and small Basterotia bivalves. Female Thumbless Pea Crabs never leave their mussel hosts, while males leave only to fertilize the eggs of a female within another mussel. There’s USUALLY never more than one P. monodactyla in a given mussel at one time.

These Pea Crabs are MUCHO successful in that females produce far more eggs than other species of non-parasitic crabs, YEAR ROUND! Their protected lifestyle means they don’t need to move to find food or escape from predators, so they can use their extra energy on egg production. Zoeal >(baby) Thumbless crabs actually find their way into a new host-animal by means of sophisticated analysis of scent clues given off by the host.

These lil’ monsters are called ‘Thumbless’ in that the moveable dactylus (pincher) has curved almost all the way back into the claw itself, creating a concave (WHERE’D YOUR THUMB GO?) appearance.

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=99016
http://eol.org/pages/1021525/overview

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/04/2016: Cryptolithodes expanses, The Hawaiian Umbrella Crab, is a uniquely shaped species found primarily in Hawaii and Japan. These crabs have a carapace that extends sideways over their claws and walking legs, allowing them to “turtle-up” and tuck everything in- giving them the appearance of a rock to potential predators. Of the three family Lithodidae (Cryptolithodes) crabs, C. expanses is the rarest. First catalogued and verified by British zoologist Edward John Miers in 1879, These guys are also known by the Japanese “Orima.” (おりま)

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=550615
http://www.gbif.org/species/6457714

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/05/2016: Neolithodes grimaldii, known as The Porcupine Crab, is a friggin’ weird species of king crab with EXTREMELY LONG spines on its carapace. These spikes are the longest of all decapods, relative to body size- covering the crab’s entire shell surface including their forefront of its face. These spines act predominantly as a visual deterrent to predation as in actuality it doesn’t require much force to snap them off. N. grimaldii lives at abyssal depths where the pressure is incredibly high and the temperature unbelievably cold in the Northwest Atlantic ecozone.

Porcupine Crabs are primarily carnivorous, feeding on snails, mussels, and the like. The biggest threat to these spiky bastards is the fact that fisheries for turbot and other deepwater fish sometimes nab porcupine crabs as a bycatch.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=107206
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=97960

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/06/2016: Glyptolithodes cristatipes, called the “Peruvian centolla,” (centolla is Spanish for crab) is a distinct king crab, and the ONLY member of genus Glyptolithodes. Found off the Pacific coasts of South America- especially Chile and Peru, this spikey dude appears in fossil records and shows a line of lineage to northern species. G. cristatipes shows marked sexual dimorphism, in that the females are larger, plainer, and symmetrical, while the males have a right cheliped which is far larger than the left.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=550620
http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Glyp ... tipes.html

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/07/2016: SUPER BOWL EDITION! Hemigrapsus penicillatus or the Harry-Clawed Shore Crab is an Asiatic intertidal species known for hitching a ride on tankers and other vessels bound “for an away-game” in Europe. Somewhat invasive, these crabs have a variable salinity tolerance, allowing them to survive in a variety of locales. H. penicillatus has an easily identifiable uniform; it has reddish spots on its claws, and sponge-like tufts of hair between the dactyl pincers. (cold weather receiver gloves?)

H. penicillatus has a rival species in the closely related family Varunidae crab, Hemigrapsus takanoi.

GO CRABS!

http://eol.org/pages/312948/overview
http://species-identification.org/speci ... an&id=1698
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=107454

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/08/2016: Calcinus tibicen or The Orange-Claw Hermit Crab. In celebration of Denver’s Super Bowl win, we have an appropriately shaded Caribbean Hermit with a carapace, legs, and claws varying in color form maroon, red, orange and blue. These crabs prefer the discarded shells of the West Indian Murex and Caribbean Trumpet Snails.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=367457
http://species-identification.org/speci ... ide&id=122

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/08/2016: Pirimela denticulata aka The Toothed Pirimela is a mega tiny little crab found primarily on sand and gravel beds in the UK, Mauritania, the Mediterranean Sea, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, and the Azores. Named for the prominent curved ‘teeth’ found on the edges of its carapace, this species seldom reaches more than 15 to 15.5 mm in carapace length.

Pirimela is a genus of crab containing a single species that is ordinarily pretty adept at not being found- making it even more extraordinary that English army officer and naturalist George Montagu was able to study P. denticulata at length, clear back in 1808.

www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=107278
http://eol.org/pages/1022515/overview

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/10/2016: The Falkland King Crab or Lithodes confundens is an Antarctic species of King Crab, frequently mistaken for other crabs- namely Lithodes santolla. Living in the seabeds from the cold waters of the southwestern Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Falkland Kings beat the cold by surviving at warmer depths at around 250m. First recognized as a distinct species in 1988 by Spanish Carcinologist Enrique Macpherson, it’s possible that L. confundens developed as a recent variant or subspecies from another Lithodes crab, however, no “smoking gun” intermediate characteristics have been found to support this theory.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=394057
http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Lith ... ndens.html

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/11/2016: Pitho anisodon, The Oval Urn Crab is a seldom-seen species from the Western Atlantic Ocean, frequently found in close proximity to the related species, Pitho aculeate. This rather interesting crab has that broad-fronted, tapering oval shape typical of urn crabs. Possessing a carapace covered in two rows of five distinct 'spines,’ this epialtidae family crab uses these protrusions, and its indistinct greenish camouflage to hide among sea grasses and the like, in the shallow mud/sand beds it calls home.

http://eol.org/pages/343189/overview
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=98549

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/12/2016: The Mangrove Sand Bubbler Crab or Dotilla myctiroides is a Southeast Asiatic Soldier Crab. Like other substrate “bubblers,” this species builds an “Igloo” out of spherical pellets of sand made in the crab’s mouth. These pellets are used to form a circular wall and roof in the burrow, holding a small amount of air in addition to the crab itself. Predominantly a tidal species, droves of D. myctiroides swim in at low tides, to feed on detritus.

Mangrove Sand Bubblers have special decalcified areas on their legs which they use to absorb additional oxygen for respiration SHINS = BONUS LUNGS! Speaking of this species’ limbs, check out those long ape-arm claws!

http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Doti ... oides.html
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=444873

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/13/2016: The Bering Hermit Crab or Pagurus beringanus is a small species of hermit spanning obviously, the Bering Sea to Monterrey, California. Easily identifiable due to its thin, orange-banded hairy legs, P. beringanus usually stays in rocky, intertidal areas with fairly cold water. In a fun case of co-op kismet, Hermit Crab Sponges, (Suberites.sp) attach themselves ONLY to snail shells belonging to hermit crabs using them, NOT the original snail inhabitants. As the sponge grows, it begins to cover the shell and can surround it completely, sometimes making locomotion difficult for the crab.

Adult Bering Hermits are completely nocturnal because the retinal pigments in their eyes have specialized day/night receptor cells, only responding with full functionality, to the ambient light in the water during night.

http://eol.org/pages/313423/overview
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=366657

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/14/2016: Batodaeus (formerly Micropanope) urinator, The Thorny Mud Crab. This tiny Caribbean species is named for its three large black lateral spines, and numerous ones on its pincers. Predominantly a shallow-water crab, B. urinator finds shelter in Blade Fire Coral (Millepora complanata) colonies where it can retreat into galls and pores on the coral’s surface. Additionally, Blade Fire Coral is toxic; contact with bare skin will produce and intense, but usually short-lived, sting thus providing further protection for this diminutive family Xanthidae species.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=422126
http://eol.org/pages/318411/overview

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/15/2016: Verrill's King Crab aka Paralomis verrilli (Sometimes the “Red Vermillion Crab”) is a Russo-Asiatic king crab known for its bright red, tubercle-covered carapace. No stranger to the fan corals and reef beds in these cold waters, P. verrilli seem to show up A LOT in the camera footage of underwater ROVs. Perhaps possessed of a curious demeanor, these family Lithodidae crabs are a welcome sight for divers. Though Verrill's Crabs aren’t heavily predated upon, they ARE nevertheless susceptible to infestation by the parasitic rhizocephalan, Briarosaccus callosus- a species of ‘barnacle’ that will hijack the crab’s reproductive success by sterilizing them with hormones, then using the crab’s own biology to make the barnacle’s larvae. It’s seriously GROSS!

http://eol.org/pages/1040640/overview
http://www.sealifebase.org/summary/Para ... rilli.html

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/16/2016: Ibacus peronii the Butterfly Fan Lobster and sometimes, the “Balmain Bug,” is a species of Australian shallow-water slipper lobster. Like other slipper lobsters, I. peronii has a broad, flat body, stubby “flattened” antennae, and NO CLAWS! This nocturnal algae/zooplankton feeder spends its daytime buried in the sand completely.

Commercially important in the region, wild-caught Balmain Bugs are a treat while there is much criticism leveled at the only I. peronii by-catch fishery for I. peronii in New South Wales.

http://species-identification.org/speci ... ers&id=191
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=382923

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/17/2016: Grapsus tenuicrustatus, The Natal Lightfoot Crab is a fascinating species of Indo-Pacific Rock Crab called 'a'aama in Hawaii, and The Thin-Shelled Rock Crab elsewhere. This colorfully mottled crab frequently leaves the water in search of easy meals. Found primarily on rocky shores and occasionally mangroves, this species has a series of unique developmental stages before reaching full adulthood. G. tenuicrustatus goes through 5 zoeal stages, an interim larval “megalopa” stage, and after molting 11-13 times, it reaches its final adult crab stage.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=207529
http://eol.org/pages/1037662/overview

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CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/18/2016: Portunus longispinosus, or The Long-Spined Swimming Crab is a widely distributed blue crab relative (Red Sea, Indo-Pacific, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Oceana, and the Great Barrier Reef.) named for its prominent spiky protrusions. This portunidae family species only grows up to a maximum of around 6 cm at width, making it relatively difficult to spot by divers. Ordinarily found in shallow waters from 1-6 m in depth.

http://species-identification.org/speci ... ry=groepen
http://www.gbif.org/species/5178594

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/19/2016: Subantarctic Stone Crab or Lithodes murrayi is a SPIKEY South-Latitudes Deepwater King Crab found at the 100 - 1000 meter depth. These bright pink-to-red crabs have a carapace covered with distinct spines, some of which in their juvenile stages, branch; forming tree limb-like shapes.

www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=241288
http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?sear ... i&mobile=1

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! #‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 02/23/2016: Edward’s Squat Lobster or Munida irrasa is a predominantly Caribbean Squat Lobster from (Munida) the largest genus of squat lobsters worldwide. In an interesting developmental twist, the compound eye of M. irrasa differs in several respects from the typical decapod eye, in that it contains approximately 12,500 ommatidia in each- a far larger amount than even the most advanced crab eyes. The exact purpose of this development isn’t fully known.

Edward’s Squat Lobsters are commonly besieged by bopyrid isopod parasites; a situation that when combined with the fact that they get eaten A LOT by Whitebone Porgy, illustrates the fact that these guys MUST taste delicious!

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=97974
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=392360