CRINCH! The Crab of the Day!

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/12/2015: The Cape Long-Legged Spider Crab or Macropodia falcifera, is a species of marine Inachidae crab found primarily around the South African coast. This crab has a weirdly small, pointy body and long spindly legs. Both of M. falcifera’s elongated arms are tipped with sharp ‘surgical scissors’ rather than giant clunky claws.

Every now and then, “Cape Spiders” will decorate themselves with hydroids or algae.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macropodia_falcifera
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=246527

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/13/2015: Leach's Spider Crab (Inachus phalangium) is a UK, East Atlantic, and Mediterranean predominant crab that lives among the sublittoral snakelocks anemones (Anemonia sulcata) on reefs. The crab gains protection from potential predators by sheltering beneath the anemone's stinging tentacles while getting to eat the bits of food dropped by the sea anemone, and the mucus from its . Eeeewwww.

This small crab has three tubercles in a triangle formation on its upper carapace, surrounded with an abundance of hook-like hairs. I. phalangium is highly successful in that it is egg bearing throughout the entire year!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inachus_phalangium
http://species-identification.org/speci ... cea&id=200

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/14/2015: Redeye Sponge Crab or Dromia erythropus is a species of Decorator Crab known for carrying a sponge upon its back for camouflage. This is made possible via some highly specialized rear legs, which are rotated upward and are capable of latching onto some comically large chunks of coral. Populations of Redeyes can be found in the far eastern Atlantic ocean, Gulf of Mexico

Being mostly nocturnal, the Redeye Sponge Crab is a scavenger that will eat most any “meaty” food. The diet of D. erythropus includes brine or mysis shrimp, mussels, detritus, and pieces of deceased fish.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=241022
http://eol.org/pages/344588/overview

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/15/2015: 0337 Rebiere’s Crab or Platymaia rebierei is a species of crab in the family Inachidae. This long-legged Spider Crab has widespread distribution through Asiatic-Pacific waters. This crab has LONG legs with many, MANY tiny, sharp spines, a round body, and some comically tiny claws. A marbled red/orange pattern covers P. rebierei’s shell, yet despite these distinguishing features, this guy is LESS impressive than other pacific spiders in both length of legs and color of carapace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Platymaia_rebierei
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441944

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/16/2015: Portunus sebae or the Ocellate Swimming Crab is a Brachyuran Swimming Crabs common to the reefs of the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and South Florida. This crab’s unique two-spot markings make it easily identifiable. Like other swimming crabs, their rear hind legs have evolved into paddles that are used for swimming as well as digging into the sand to hide from predators.

Cool spots aside, the claws of P. sebae are long and slender with INCREDIBLY sharp, pointy cutting edges. Many divers who have ‘taken liberties’ with this crab have wound up with a pretty nasty CRINCH!

http://species-identification.org/speci ... ide&id=134
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=98731

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/17/2015: Naxia tumida, The Seaweed Decorator Crab is a diminutive Majidae species common to rocky intertidal and subtidal zones on the temperate coasts of Australia. Not actually a ‘true’ decorator crab, N. tumida nevertheless still has hooks on its shell on which attaches bits of seaweed or algae with adhesive secretions. This plant covering is an effective camouflage against predators and larger, meaner crabs

Naxia tumida was discovered by the United States Exploring Expedition (EE) and described by James Dwight Dana, originally under the name Halimus tumidus.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=442042
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxia_tumida

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/18/2015: Hotlips Spider Crab or Achaeopsis spinulosa is an Inachidae, crab found ONLY around the South African coast, primarily the Southwest from False Bay to Durban. This strange looking, spindly legged thing is the only member of the subtidal genus Achaeopsis.

A. spinulosa’s common name is “Hotlips” because of the bright-red markings prevalent around its mouth. To close out my spider/decorator crab kick, the Hotlips Crab also decorates its body with sponges, hydroids, striped anemones, bits of sea fans, and algae.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441838
http://www.gbif.org/species/5971045

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/19/2015: The Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus) is perhaps the most sought-after “tank janitors” by saltwater fishtank enthusiasts. With its pair of asymmetrically-sized claws, this studious little guy works day and night chugging around, getting into all of the nooks and crannies and under/ around live rocks and other obstacles to find food.

In the wild, this hermit crab can be found from Hawaii through the Indo-Pacific and as far south as Australia and as far west as the east Africa. Primarily a detriovore, in times of lean, Zebra Hermits will supplement their diet with seaweed. Compared to other hermit crabs, members of the Calcinus genus have substantially longer, more brightly colored eye stalks. In the case of C. laevimanus, the lower half of the eyestalk is blue, and the upper half, orange.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=208669
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcinus

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/20/2015: Scandarma splendidum or the “Jungle Tree Crab” is a recently discovered species of terrestrial tree-climbing (Arboreal ) crab found only in Sarawak, Malaysia. (Borneo) This amazing little critter lives a good chunk of its life in the knotholes and overlaps in rainforest jungle foliage. This species differs from other jungle Scandarma crabs by the characteristics of its carapace, the cheliped, the ambulatory legs, male abdominal segment and male first gonopod, and overall body size.

The Jungle Tree Crab’s name hails from the Latin ‘splendidus’ meaning brilliant or shining, alluding to beautiful coloration of the new species.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=444672
http://eol.org/pages/12167688/names?all=1

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/21/2015: Uca thayeri, the Atlantic Mangrove Fiddler Crab is one of approximately 97 species of ‘fiddler crab’ belonging to the family Ocypodidae. The Atlantic Mangrove Species is characterized by a thick, squarish body, one greatly enlarged pincer on males, and some rather cray cray herding behavior. Swarms of these little buggers can be found on muddy saltflats, and you guessed it… mangroves throughout the Atlantic coasts.

The mating behavior of Uca thayeri is pretty elaborate, even for fiddler crabs! Males group together and have a ‘dance-off’ that involves rhythmic movements of their beefy claw, up and down, forward and backward, with pauses for certain durations. If a female digs his moves, they square off and mate. Females produce more than 30,000 eggs that develop about two weeks glued to their abdomen. When the first larval stage has consumed almost all the food, females travel to the bank to release the larvae. Those that make it through the five aquatic larval stages (zoeas) reach a shore and become tiny crabs.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=378381
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=99101

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/22/2015: Cryptochirus corallicola or the Malaysian Gall Crab is a newly discovered GROSS little parasite found in Indonesia and Malaysia. This creepy bugger lives primarily on the free-living mushroom coral, Trachyphyllia geoffroyi. Gall crabs settle on a coral as larvae, and secrete irritant/enzymatic chemicals to ‘force’ the coral to grow around the baby crab, creating a 'dwelling' called a gall. Female gall crabs are about two times larger than males, and because of their larger size and the large number of eggs they can carry, they cannot leave their galls and become 'imprisoned'. Males can leave their dwellings and move around freely.

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=99125
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cry ... ification/

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/23/2015: Palicus sicus or the Winged Stilt Crab is a crazy little West-Atlantic crab, named for the broadly flattened first segment of its third and fourth pair of legs. When this crab launches itself through the water (a weird not-quite-swimming motion) it looks like its flappy legs are ‘flying.’ The family Palicidae, called stilt crabs for the way they ‘rise up’ before launching, are a group of crabs with some close cousins recently placed in a separate family, the Crossotonotidae.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=442195
http://mczbase.mcz.harvard.edu/name/Palicus%20sicus

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/24/2015: Osachila semilevis, aka: The Thinlip Jewelbox Crab is a family Aethridae crab, whose bloodline is so narrow it only includes thee living and three fossil species! A Calappa offshoot, this genus of “box” crabs has distinctly bulky carapaces and a comical ashamed look when the crab's chelae (claws) fold up and cover its face. This effect is even more pronounced with Thinlip Crabs; just look at that pic!

This eroded shelled, irregular-diamond-shaped crab hails from the Gulf of Mexico, West Indies, through North Florida. The semilevis or “Half Lever” in the Jewelbox Crab’s name was published in 1916 during the Rathbun expedition, in relationship to the appearance of these crab’s claws.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=421924
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=98352

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/25/2015: Petrolisthes laevigatus, or the Purple Foot Porcelain Crab is a distinct-looking intertidal zooplankton filter-feeder found primarily in Chile and Peru. Though a beautiful blend of purple, black, orange, and red, P. laevigatus spends the majority of its time hiding under rocks and sandy cover.

Purple Foot Porcelain Crabs, and other related species are important in that these crustaceans have a high degree of physiological plasticity, which allows them to withstand long periods of inhabitation in conditions FAR less than perfect. P. laevigatus itself has a greater tolerance to higher water temperatures and lower overall desiccation when exposed to air and sub-prime water toxicity. This illustrates the potential of physiological features for semi-terrestrial specialization. Additionally, its geographic distribution and its location in the intertidal zone suggest that this species should have ample physiological and biochemical adaptability to environmental change. COOL!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrolisthes_laevigatus
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=431857

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/26/2015: CRABBY THANKSGIVING! The False Arrow Crab (Metoporhaphis calcarata) is actually a spider crab species rather than a genus Stenorhynchus species arrow crab. This gangly looking thing has eight looooong walking legs, and two tiny claws. Unlike the “pointy forehead” found on real arrow crabs, M. calcarata has a piriform body and head- like decorator and spider “true crabs.”

False Arrow Crabs can be found on Atlantic reefs and seabeds among the corals and plants they can camouflage themselves against.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=421950
http://eol.org/pages/343766/overview

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/28/2015: Pagurus samuelis, or The Blueband Hermit Crab is a distinctly marked hermit hailing from the Pacific Northwest. The MOST COMMON hermit in California, this crab can be easily identified by the bright blue bands on its legs and its overwhelming preference for the shell of the black turban snail.

Blueband Hermits are midnight scavengers of algae, carrion, and tidepool detritus. In the breeding season, males will pick up and carry females on their backs, sometimes for several days. Mating itself is brief, as both animals must nearly leave their shells to mate.

Fun fact: What was previously thought to be a Japanese population of Blueband Hermits is actually a separate species: Pagurus filholi.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagurus_samuelis
http://eol.org/pages/345024/overview

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/29/2015: Hyastenus borradailei or the White-V Hydroid Crab is a small Epialtidae crustacean, native to the Indo-Pacific. As its name suggests, the “V” hangs out on Hydroid Corals and indeed is very identifiable by the V-shaped pattern on the back of its carapace. Additionally, fine hairs used for the purpose of food collection covers this crab’s entire body.

H. borradailei is another fascinating Rathbun expedition crab, first catalogued in 1907.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=210267
http://species-identification.org/speci ... pan&id=918

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/30/2015: Branchinecta raptor or The Raptor Fairy Shrimp is a very unique family Branchinectida crustacean, and a potential progenitor species to modern advanced Crabs and Lobsters. This previously unknown species of giant fairy shrimp is highly adapted to a predatory mode of life with its elongated, ‘‘whip-like’’ cercopods (fangly looking claws!) nearly as long as the abdomen that are used for detecting and grasping prey.

B. raptor is the largest species of Fairy Shrimp ever found. It was discovered in 2006, living in ONLY two pools south of Boise, Idaho. Briny pools of this variety are millennia-old holdovers from when Nevada, most of Utah, Southeastern Oregon, Southern Idaho, parts of Eastern California, and Northern Arizona were one huge lake called Lake Lahontan.

http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1651/c-2509.1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branchinecta

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 12/01/2015: Pilumnus caribaeus or The Coarse-Spined Hairy Crab is a filter feeder Pilumnid from the Western Atlantic including the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, Central America, the Antilles, and Brazil. This crab hangs out in Soft bottomed substrates near shallow reefs.

P. caribaeus has some unique patterns of hard, defensive spines on its ambulatory legs and back, and as its name suggests, is covered with a dense mat of “hair” used to filter tasty bits outta the water.

http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=98825
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=422094

[Mutt12]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 11/30/2015: Branchinecta raptor or The Raptor Fairy Shrimp is a very unique family Branchinectida crustacean, and a potential progenitor species to modern advanced Crabs and Lobsters. This previously unknown species of giant fairy shrimp is highly adapted to a predatory mode of life with its elongated, ‘‘whip-like’’ cercopods (fangly looking claws!) nearly as long as the abdomen that are used for detecting and grasping prey.

B. raptor is the largest species of Fairy Shrimp ever found. It was discovered in 2006, living in ONLY two pools south of Boise, Idaho. Briny pools of this variety are millennia-old holdovers from when Nevada, most of Utah, Southeastern Oregon, Southern Idaho, parts of Eastern California, and Northern Arizona were one huge lake called Lake Lahontan.

http://www.bioone.org/doi/pdf/10.1651/c-2509.1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branchinecta

Oh wow. They look like giant sea monkeys!

[Nezumiiro]

Oh wow. They look like giant sea monkeys!

While pretty closely related, (both are Order: Anostraca) sea monkeys are a badass species of Artemia brine shrimp- FAR more advanced biologically than the simple Branchinecta fairy shrimp.

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 12/02/2015: Plagusia (Grapsus) dentipes or the Pacific Raft Crab is a species of Grapsidae crab, first described by De Haan in 1835. Rafting or “Spray” crabs as their name implies, can be found in rocky areas close to the surface of the water where there is some wave action. Their close proximity to these depths puts them into contact with the bottoms of boats and other floating objects to which they cling, often travelling hundreds of miles.

Though P. dentipes is found originally from tropical Indo-Pacific oceans, its proclivity for rafting has carried it all over the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=453246
http://species-identification.org/speci ... an&id=1750

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 12/03/2015: The Lollipop Crab or Ixa cylindrus has been a LONG time coming! This Holiday Treat of a crustacean is a Leucosid crab species native to the seas around Indonesia and the Philippines. Due to Lollipop Crab’s slow, detritiovore nature, it’s a very popular addition for reef aquariums. Their dainty straw like claws and legs are more suited for scavenging rather than actively hunting live food sources.

The name “Lollipop” comes from the brightly colored horizontal nodules on either side of the crab’s carapace. These structures, while defensive in nature, play a more prominent role in mate/breeding selection.

Ixa genus crabs are known for the fissures, bumps, and patterns apparent on their shell. Some of these ‘canyons’ and patters (such as on I. cylindrus!) give the appearance of an eerie human skull complete with darker purple hues for the orbital fossa. Often enough, these guys are called “Hammerhead Crabs” due to their appearance: similar to a hammerhead shark.

http://species-identification.org/speci ... pan&id=791
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441178
https://www.facebook.com/MarineLifeAqua ... 606112894/

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 12/04/2015: Arcania Cornuta or the Phillipine Pebble Crab is a rather interesting Leucosiidae crab indemic to Australia, Indonesia, the Moluccas Islands, Japan, and obviously the Philippines. These crazy “balloon-lookin’ things” are actually REALLY tiny (thus, pebble crab!) despite the visual appearance of their broadly rhomboidal carapace and slender/smooth Chelipeds. (claws)

A. Cornuta, and several other distinct Leucosiidae crabs are broadly categorized as “Incertae sedis” (Latin for "of uncertain placement") a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined.

http://species-identification.org/speci ... pan&id=768
http://www.crustaceology.com/?t=68&u=30 ... 73e786ed70

[Nezumiiro]

CRINCH! ‪#‎CrabOfTheDay‬ for 12/05/2015: Pennant's Nut Crab or Ebalia tuberose is a highly mobile Epibenthic deposit feeder found in European gravel and stony bottomed seabeds. Seriously, despite being tiny buggers, individual Pennant crabs can sometimes range hundreds of miles via selective current riding.

Depending on age and location, the carapace of these guys is highly variable; colors can trend from light yellowish-orange to deep reddish-brown, sometimes with white bands or spots.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=107301
http://species-identification.org/speci ... cea&id=194