CRINCH! The Crab of the Day!

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Photo credit: Arthur Anker

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 06/22/2016: Acanthocarpus bispinosus, the Twospine Box Crab is a family Calappidae species ranging from the Straits of Florida to the Windward Islands. Living at the 247 meter to 361 meter Bathymetric range, A. bispinosus has a rounded white and red-orange carapace with two VERY PROMINENT spikes on each side of its body. Hanging out in soft mud beds, Twospine Box Crabs are very common near the Dry Tortugas, but still occasionally sited in the Grenadines, Lesser Antilles. Oddly enough, the ambulatory legs of this crab are ‘naked,’ they’re plainly smooth with very little detail or texture.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=421917
http://eol.org/pages/342785/overview

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Photo credit: J. Poupin

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 06/28/2016: Sphenocarcinus corrosus or The Eroded Vase Crab is a VERY uniquely shaped West Atlantic/Gulf of Mexico family Epialtidae species. These Vase Crabs typically live in warm, DEEP waters where their bizarre carapace shape allows them to feed on, and blend in with the surrounding corals. Majoid “Vase Crab” species such as genus Sphenocarcinus and their close cousins, genus Oxypleurodon, are described as having ‘Pyriform’ or Pear-Shaped bodies.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=421946
http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/S ... alue=98561

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Photo credit: Denis Riek, 2013

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 06/29/2016: Litosus sexspinosus, or The "Mutsuha-mametsubu-gani," (ムツハマメツブガニ) sometimes called the "Egg Pearl" or "Egg Bead" Crab. This species has a broadly rounded, smooth carapace with distinct ‘preocular’ teeth and antenna nubs. L. sexspinosus differs from related species by its limb morphology: stumpy short claws and thick walking legs. This family Inachidae crab can be found in South India, Japan, China, Indonesia, and Australia.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441923
http://species-identification.org/speci ... schrijving

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Photo credit: Rokus Groeneveld & Sanne Reijs

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 06/30/2016: Calcinus pulcher, or the Beautiful Hermit Crab (appropriate name!) is an amazing Indo-Pacific reef species known for using older bits of reef and calcareous red algae encrusted shells. This family Diogenidae hermit, also known as the “Beautiful Hard-Shell” Hermit, has some rather distinct morphology with its reddish-rose eyestalks and bright white claw and leg-tips.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=367453
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=5662

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Photo credit: Arthur Anker

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/01/2016: Euryozius pagalu, The Gulf of Guinea Red Crab is generally a sublittoral species, living a relatively short distance from shore at the 80m +/- depth zone. This brightly colored Superfamily Pseudoziidae crab is an insular species occurring in the Gulf of Guinea, Sao Tome, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of the Congo, and Principe. Possessing slender pereiopods with a distinct spine/tubercle placement pattern, E. pagalu is another stunning species, cataloged by rockstar carcinologists Lipke Holthuis and Raymond B. Manning.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=443838
http://www.gbif.org/species/5971034

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Photo credit: Zen Faulkes

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/02/2016: Uca mjoebergi, or Mjöberg's Fiddler Crab is a species discovered by and named after Swedish zoologist Eric Mjöberg, (1882–1938) a key member of the Swedish scientific expedition to Australia in the early 1900s. Found along the North and Northwest coast of Australia (from Dampier to the Gulf of Carpentaria, Papua New Guinea) Male U. mjoebergi rely heavily on their enlarged claw to signal dominance and fighting prowess during mating season. Crabs which lose their large claw will occasionally regenerate a lighter, cheaper claw (requiring less energy to produce). Research has shown that, while crabs with these 'cheap' claws are worse fighters than crabs with strong claws of a similar size, they are just as effective at intimidating other crabs AND attracting mates based on claw size. Part of this stems from the fact that visual and sensory cues such as claw coloration, receptiveness, individual identity and mate quality.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=558118
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2014/01/ ... rustaceans

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Photo credit: Rokus Groeneveld

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/03/2016: Cymo melanodactylus, or The Furry Coral Crab, is a family Xanthidae species found in Indo-Pacific waters, living in the natural surface gaps and fissures of corals in the genus Acropora. Named for the setae covered, ‘furry’ appearance of its carapace, this crab actually feeds on mucus secreted by the coral, dead coral tissue, and floating zooplankton/detritus. At first thought to be an infesting pest species, later studies have concluded that C. melanodactylus crabs actually slow/reverse progression of tissue loss caused by White Syndrome (WS) in acroporid corals, rather than acting as a potential vector.

White band disease is a coral disease that affects acroporid corals and is distinguishable by the white band of dead coral tissue that it forms. The disease completely destroys the coral tissue of Caribbean acroporid corals, specifically elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and staghorn coral. (A. cervicornis).

It is fascinating to learn that on the micro scale the predatory behavior of coral crabs like Cymo melanodactylus are harmful but at the large ecosystem scale their efforts amount to surgical grazing, removing disease flesh to make an overall healthier colony.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=208969
http://species-identification.org/speci ... an&id=1181

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CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/04/2016: There’s a hundred and one ways to show your ‘America,’ and though we don’t typically go all-in for showy regalia, here at #CrabOfTheDay we still found some crabby ways to America the heck up!

Have a Crabby and Safe 4th of July Everyone!

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Photo credit: Marc Levenson, "melev"

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/05/2016: Tegastes acroporanus or the ‘Red Bug’ is a parasitic crab-cousin copepod. This predatory micro-crustacean is 0.5 mm in length, and it predominantly feasts on smooth-skinned Acropora (where it gets its Latin name!) corals. The first sign of a Red Bug infestation is a noticeable loss of coral color (giving your corals a spotted appearance) and typically a reduction of polyp extension. A few Red Bugs would normally not be enough to kill an Acropora coral but in the closed micro-ecosystem of a marine aquarium, with no real predators, the Red Bugs multiply rapidly, killing corals in as little as a few weeks. Worse yet, once word gets out that you have them nobody will want to trade coral fragments with you.

Luckily it is not very difficult to treat Red Bugs, Milbemycin oxime, an active ingredient in heart worm medication for dogs, can be mixed within a quarantine tank. Additionally, the Dragonface Pipefish, (Corythoichthys haematopterus) loves to feed upon coral pests including T. acroporanus!

Photo credit: Marc Levenson, "melev"

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=356041
http://eol.org/pages/3011818/overview

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Photo credit: Arthur Anker

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/05/2016: Dorippoides facchino, The Buffoon Crab (sometimes called the Anemone-Carrying Crab) is a highly specialized Benthic ‘Leaf Carrier’ found in Madagascar, Malaysia, and Singapore. Possessing velvety inverted rear legs PEFECT for gripping, this crab has a commensal relationship with sea anemones, usually Cancrisocia expansa.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=440420
http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/bismal/e/view/9034767

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Photo credit: Hong Kong Coast Watch

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/08/2016: The Mangrove Horseshoe Crab or Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda is a Central Indo-Pacific species, and is among the only living chelicerates that have compound eyes. Each individual has two compound lateral eyes, used primarily for finding mates, and FIVE additional eyes on the top if its carapace (two median eyes, two rudimentary lateral eyes and one endoparietal eye) that function as light-sensing organs. On the underside, the horseshoe crab has two ventral eyes that may aid orientation of the animal when swimming. C. rotundicauda is noticeably smaller in size compared to other extant horseshoe crab species and this species’ carapace is far more rounded. Preferring muddy rivers, swampy estuaries and brackish mangroves, C. rotundicauda occurs only in Asia: around India, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Hong Kong.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=238267
http://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Ta ... xid=235649

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Photo credit: Dr. Lucia Solorzano Constantine

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/09/2016: The Mangrove Hairy Crab or Ucides occidentalis is a family Ucididae species of semi terrestrial crab found living in the Central and South American Pacific coast. This crab inhabits Neotropical ‘Mangals’ or assemblages of coastal mangroves near flood areas or semibrackish delta zones. U. occidentalis has a distinct trapezoidal carapace, hairy walking legs, and oversized, goofy-looking pinchers. Mangrove Hairy Crabs harvest mangrove leaves that have fallen to the forest floor, transporting them down their burrows where they accumulate during the year. It’s totally still unknown what nutritional value this source of organic matter gives the crabs, but it does influence the fate of mangrove leaf litter in the forest.

http://eol.org/pages/4268528/overview
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=445001

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Photo credit: G. and Ph. Poppe, 2004

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/10/2016: The Ookobushigani (オオコブシガニ) or Parilia major is a leucosiid species (family Leucosiidae) from East Asia. Possessing ridiculously exaggerated claws and a round body, this crab lives at depths 200m and deeper. A relatively rare species, this seldom-caught crab is nevertheless a pretty awesome sight! So rare in fact, that the only species in captivity on EARTH is at Numazu Deep Sea Aquarium in Japan, and only recently added! (In February, 2015)

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441250
http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/bismal/e/view/9014914

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Photo credit: Arthur Anker

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/11/2016: The Sluggish Mud Crab or Chasmocarcinops gelasimoides is a family Chasmocarcinidae species, distributed in the Philippines, Vietnam and mainland China's Guangdong and Hainan provinces. Inhabiting the 10 m +/- depth zone, this appropriately named, slow moving crab hangs out among the plantlife or burrowing in shelly/sandy seabeds, filtering edible bits of zooplankton and detritus. C. gelasimoides is identifiable by its pale legs and undercarriage and blue-to-purple-to-magenta carapace.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=440882
https://www.crabdatabase.info/en/crabs/ ... oides-6384

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Photo credit: Arthur Anker

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/12/2016: Pachycheles susanae, or Susan’s (Gore) Porcelain Crab is a family Porcellanidae, superfamily Galatheoidea crab, occurring intertidally among coralline rubble on fossil reefs on the Caribbean coast. With its somewhat inflated ‘Cheeseburger Shaped’ carapace, wooly legs, and feathery antennae, this species is incredibly distinct, even from other porcelain crabs. Rockstar marine scientists Robert H. Gore (Ph.D. Marine Sciences, Smithsonian Institution) and Lawrence G. Abele (FSU, Department of Biological Sciences) named Pachycheles susanae and its sister species, Petrolisthes lindae in honor of their wives, Mrs. Susan Gore and Mrs. Linda Abele.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=425865
http://eol.org/pages/4258710/overview

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Photo credit: Stefano Guerrieri

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/12/2016: Lissa chiragra, or The Red Masked Crab is a family Epialtidae species found in the Mediterranean- namely the Adriatic Sea through the Levantine Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. This bright red, diamond shaped crab has NUMEROUS bumpy knots and tubules on its carapace. L. chiragra’s claws are thin and long, but very difficult to see as it typically keeps them stashed underneath its body. This species typically hides in rocky or overgrown seabeds where it hunts for snails, mussels, worms, small crustaceans and larvae.

Red Masked Crabs are typically COVERED with mushroom corals!

Photo credit: Chieri, Underwater Activities 2016

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=107336
http://eol.org/pages/2950163/overview

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Photo credit: Takumi Shiraishi, 2016

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/15/2016: Arcania echinata, or Galil's Pebble Crab is an Australian species of pebble crab typically found at the 30 m +/- depth zone of the Great Barrier and neighboring reefs, with outlying populations appearing in Singapore and the Eastern Seas. In the late 90's A. echinata was part of a massive taxonomic reorganization of Indo-Pacific leucosioids. This spiky little fella was re-catalogued and named by Bella Galil of the Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research Institute. (IOLR)

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441090
http://eol.org/pages/12169025/overview

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Photo credit: FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/16/2016: The Furcate Spider Crab or Stenocionops furcatus (Previously Stenocionops furcata coelatus) is a marine Family Majidae Decorator crab found in the Gulf of Mexico through East Central America. Normally these crabs are heavily decorated with sponges, algae and tunicates; it’s HIGHLY UNUSUAL to encounter an individual having no decorations at all. Frequently spotted on intertidal sand, coral, rocks or mud bottoms at or around the 180 m depth zone.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=421998
http://species-identification.org/speci ... ssificatie

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Photo credit: Arthur Anker

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/17/2016: The Machine-Gun Coral Shrimp, or Coralliocaris graminea (Sometimes the Green or Emerald Coral Shrimp) is an Indo-Pacific family Palaemonidae species of snapping shrimp. Usually found hiding among the branching Acropora and Montipora corals, this brilliant green and white striped marine shrimp has a pair of HUGE flattened pincers that can grow to be larger than its body! This rather unusual snapping shrimp “snaps” with both claws, unlike the true snapping shrimps from the non-related family Alpheidae, which snap more powerfully and with only one claw. Usually, a pair is seen in a single coral colony which they use for shelter.

http://eol.org/pages/344769/overview
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=210628

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Photo credit: Erling Sandsdalen

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/17/2016: The Red King Crab, or Paralithodes camtschaticus, (Occasionally the Kamchatka/Alaskan King Crab) is a Bering Sea/North Pacific King Crab; one of the largest crab species on Earth. This large, delicious monster is highly prized by fisherman and fisheries alike, as it can fetch some of the largest crustacean fishing profits! A migratory species, P. camtschaticus prefers colder Northern waters, but can nevertheless adapt, and thrive in warmer climates if necessary- leading to potential out-competition of native species. (Invasiveness!)

The “Red” King Crab was named after the color it turns when cooked, RATHER than its natural pink-to-burgundy carapace color.

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Par ... schaticus/
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=233889

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Photo credit: John Christy, STRI Staff Scientist

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/19/2016: Uca terpsichores, or The Dancing Fiddler Crab is a subgenus
Leptuca species from the Eastern Pacific: Nicaragua to northern Peru. The amazing male U. (L) terpsichores fiddlers have perhaps the most ridiculously oversized claws (per their body size) which they use to court females and threaten and fight other males during mating season. Additionally, males will typically build “sand hoods” above ground, rather than mating burrows underground.

Cool Fact: As Male fiddlers claws grow larger, the redactor attached to the apodeme that bisects the claw (inserted at the base of the ‘finger’) changes its fulcrum point to achieve greater mechanical advantage- making it one of the animal kingdoms best “self-optimizing” weapons!

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=378366
http://www.fiddlercrab.info/u_terpsichores.html

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Photo credit: Jerry Kirkhart

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/20/2016: Pilumnus spinohirsutus, or The Retiring Hairy Crab is a family Pilumnidae intertidal invertebrate found in the East Pacific, namely from San Pedro, California along the Baja peninsula to Bahia Magdalena and Cabo San Miguel. This occasionally invasive xanthid crab is fairly small, (28 mm wide on the top-end) and can be separated from its Pilumnid brethren by its 5 rather than 4 anterolateral spines. P. spinohirsutus’ common name (sometimes the “Retiring Southerner”) stems from the fact that it is VERY secretive, (read, retiring) found hiding around mussel clumps and shallow rocks.

Fun Fact: spinohirsutus means "spiny-hairy."

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=442575
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Pil ... ification/

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Photo credit: Y. Buske, 2012

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/21/2016: Uhlias limbatus or The Eroded Clutch Crab is an easily overlooked Gulf of Mexico-through-The Carribean family Leucosiidae (subfamily Ebaliinae) purse crab. One of only two members of genus Uhilas, (the other being Uhlias ellipticus) this little fellow can be found doing its best to blend in with the regional corals.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=421939
http://crustiesfroverseas.free.fr/fiche ... navID=6355

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Photo credit: Chitse Lee, 2012

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/23/2016: Eucrate alcocki or Alcock’s Euryplacid Crab is a Superfamily Goneplacoidea/Family Euryplacidae species, native to the 30 meter depth zones of the subcontinent through East Asia. Males of this species are known for their unusual red spot carapace patterns, occasionally resembling dog, cat, sloth, and bear faces. Until recently, the Euryplacid Crabs were classified under the same family as the Goneplacid Crabs, but recent developments in the understanding of crab morphological characters have enabled scientists to classify the former in their own family. (Euryplacidae) This species is found in much shallower subtropical waters than most Goneplacid crabs, but it is never encountered in the intertidal zone. Both sexes have a mat of hair on the elbows of their pincers. E. alcocki specimens are frequently found with infestations of the parasitic isopod, Gigantione rhombos.

http://species-identification.org/speci ... an&id=1515
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=440914

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Photo credit: Arthur Anker

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 07/24/2016: Spongy Pebble Crab, or Pariphiculus spongiosus (Iphiculus spongiosus) is a CRAZY LOOKING family Iphiculidae species, found in Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, India, and the Red Sea. This asterisk-looking crab has a carapace that is distinctly broader than it is long, with four nubby spines on its edges. Additionally, (P) I. spongiosus is covered in fine setae and has GNARLY looking toothed claws. This species’ pale coloration and body shape helps it hide in the soft mud and coral rubble found in the 10 – 200 meter depth zones.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=209530
http://species-identification.org/speci ... pan&id=790