CRINCH! The Crab of the Day!

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: John P. Hoover.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/06/2017: Daldorfia rathbunae, or Rathbun's Elbow Crab ( ラスバンカルイシガニ or 'Rasubankaruishigani' in Japanese. ) is an Indo-Pacific species of elbow crab, known for its lumpy, irregular appearance. Also called The Gorilla Elbow Crab or The 'King Kong' Crab, D. rathbunae is found on or near reefs at 10 - 100 m of depth in the West Pacific, namely Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Madagascar. This family Parthenopidae crab is very obviously named for crab-world superstar, Mary J. Rathbun.

Like most parthenopid crabs, the surface of this species is covered with rough elevations and depressions and with smaller tubercles and pits. The chelipeds (claws) are usually unequal in size, and the walking legs bear spines which grow in such a way that they form a perforated margin along the upper edge.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=442230
http://www.eol.org/pages/318673/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Tina Owens.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/08/2017: Pilumnus (Viaderiana) taeniola, or The Hairy Narrow-Band Crab is an only-slightly hirsute species of family Pilumnidae crab found in the South Pacific Ocean/French Polynesia; namely Hawaii and Guam. This deep ocean dweller sifts through the reef rock, sand, and rubble at the 100+ meter depth zone, (up to200m in some cases!) using its setae- or hairs to filter bits of detritus or planktonic food. Occasionally this bright-orange lobed crustacean will jack up a smaller but weaker animal (including other crabs!) for a slightly more wiggly meal!

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=442580
https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/ ... 60623#null

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: IRD/P. Laboute.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/09/2017: Cycloes marisrubri, called the Wingless Box Crab and sometimes the Red Sea Box Crab is a SUPER CUTE family Calappidae (box crabs) species found in French Polynesia, The East Pacific, parts of Asia, and several African Islands including Madagascar. This round-shelled pink crab is known for being a tropical deep-dweller, hanging out at depths up to 300 m or more! Relatively rare, you’d have a hard time seeing a mated pair of these little guys, as they completely bury themselves in sand and silt to avoid predation. (Just check out the video!)

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=440319
http://species-identification.org/speci ... pan&id=715
https://youtu.be/lAZTTjWPsPA?t=1m57s

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Arne Kuilman.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/10/2017: Portunus (Xiphonectes) macrophthalmus, or The Big-Eyed Swimming Crab is an appropriately named species of family Portunidae swimmer from The Republic of Mauritius, The South Pacific, French Polynesia, Asia, and New Caledonia. This small, orange carapace’d crab seldom gets much larger than 1”across, and can be found on reefs, sand, and rubble at scuba depth. As its name suggests, this crab’s large green eyes are balanced by its long, fearsome looking spiny claws.

Despite being a swimming crab, these little guys don’t like to stray too long into open water- it would make them easy prey for a variety of eels and other crustacean-eaters!

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=208799
http://species-identification.org/speci ... an&id=1095

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Ondrej Radosta, Crab Database.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/11/2017: Platepistoma anaglyptum, (Balss, 1922) or The Tosa Bay Crab, called ノウイチョウガニ, or the Knife Ginkgo Crab in Japanese or alterately, in Chinese, 浮雕扁口板蟹 meaning the Embossed Armor Crab. This average-sized brown crab can be found on Indo-Pacific islands- namely Sagami Bay and Tosa Bay in Japan. This family Cancridae species has a distinct pattern of granules on its carapace and a pair of heavy, spined claws.

Somewhat recently, P. anaglyptum, (formerly Cancer anaglyptum) was in a bit of a 3-way taxonomic kefuffle with Cancer sakaii and Cancer balssi. Glad it’s all sorted out!

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=440390
http://species-identification.org/speci ... ry=soorten

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Arthur Anker.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/11/2017: Pachycheles barbatus, or the Portuguese Porcelain Crab is a family Porcellanidae species named, not for Portugal per se, rather for the Portuguese Indo-African traders that thought this hairy beastie was somehow good luck. P. barbatus’ chelipeds bear long, stiff, light-brown setae- which along with its specialized ‘feeding arms,’ allow it to filter all manner of goodies outta the water! From some Caribbean islands to the coast of Mozambique to Hawaii in the East, this beautiful crab has a particularly wide distribution! Plus, its Latin name is ‘Barbados.’

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=487986
https://www.crabdatabase.info/en/crabs/ ... batus-8715

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: David Rolla, 2013.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/13/2017: Tozeuma lanceolatum, or The Ocellated Tozeuma Shrimp, (also called The Sawblade Shrimp) is an Indo-West Pacific, family Hippolytidae species of ‘humpback shrimp’ frequently found living on whip coral, rope sponges, gorgonians, seagrass blades, and sometimes in black coral “bushes.” These crustaceans may be found alone or in groups of 5 or more at depths of 15m to 150m! One of the more strikingly red Carid Shrimps, T. lanceolatum and its related shrimps often have complex relationships with other creatures; sharing burrows and working as housekeepers.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=515354
http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/326965- ... anceolatum

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Susie Fork, ESNERR 2016.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/15/2017: The California Burrowing Crab, or Malacoplax californiensis is an interesting family Panopeidae species from Baja California, Mexico up to Morro Bay, California. Known for building burrows in the middle and low intertidal zones of muddy bays, M. californiensis tends to hide under objects on these mud flats like rip-rap, exposed rocks, or large clam shells. This brown colored, rectangular, setae-covered crab has become recently endangered due to habitat loss and degradation, often finding its way onto private property so frequently, it’s been dubbed the "recently poured foundation" crab.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=443944
http://www.eol.org/pages/343928/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: J. Poupin.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/16/2017: Lahaina ovata, or The Longhorned Spider Crab ( ハワイモガニ or "Hawaiian Crab" in Japanese.) is a gangly family Epialtidae/Subfamily Pisinae species of Indo-Pacific/African spider. Outlying populations can also be found in the Mozambique Channel, France, and the Comoros. These crabs have a pointed, horned carapace, long walking legs, and sporadic, feathery setae. Generally found in shallow coral reefs.

Fun Fact: The ‘Lahaina’ genus is named after the city of Lahaina in Maui, Hawaii.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441584
http://www.eol.org/pages/290003/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Elyne Dugény.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/17/2017: The Whitebanded Hermit Crab (Calcinus seurati) also called Seurat's Hermit Crab and The Zebra Reef Hermit Crab is a distinctly patterned family Diogenidae species, native to various locales from Africa, the Subcontinent, Oceana, and Polynesia. This warm water dweller is named for the black and white bands that adorn their legs, though just as striking are their large grey claws, and bright blue eyes. Whitebanded Hermits generally prefer the shallow rock pools just above the waves, on the windward side of a given biome, where the filamentous algae they eat is plentiful. This trait makes these small crabs particularly attractive to aquarium owners for harmful algae control.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=208674
http://www.eol.org/pages/1037345/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: C. Hily.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/18/2017: The Red-legged Swimming Crab or Portunus convexus is a (obviously!) bright red swimmer, found near Indo-African islands and parts of Southeast Asia and Oceana. This family Portunidae species can tolerate a substantial variety of depths, and like all swimming crabs, is a carnivorous hunter! This Wilhem de Haan catalogued species (1835) gets its Latin suffix ‘convexus’ from the fact that it’s mouthparts appear to indeed be convex. A similar looking and related species was alternately given the suffix “gibbesii,” as its mouthparts were gibbous-looking.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=208801
http://eol.org/pages/2982705/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: "Okinawa Diving Dolphinkick."

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/19/2017: Cryptodromia fallax, known as “Mizunokai kamuri” in Japan, (ミゾカイカムリ) and ’The False Crawl Crab’ in Taiwan, is a widely distributed Pacific/Asiatic species of family Dromiidae carrier crab. Seldom larger than about 1 cm in size, this crab hefts bits of sponge, plant-life, and coral above their head as both camouflage and a defensive measure.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=209470
http://species-identification.org/speci ... pan&id=600

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: J. Poupin.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/21/2017: Rochinia umbonata, or The Knobbed Spiny Crab is a twin-horned family Epialtidae species found in the Gulf of Mexico and a few, scant South American locales. Generally seen on the flow-side of underwater slopes, this crustacean, despite technically being a kelp crab, is obviously named for the large, both blunted and thorny ‘knobs.’ Additionally, R. umbonata can inhabit a HUGE range of depths; choosing to live on the hard rocky bottoms from 161 to 915 m.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=422013
http://eol.org/pages/1036999/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Alexander Semenov.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/22/2017: Pagurus middendorffii or Middendorff's Hermit Crab, (also 'テナガホンヤドカリ' in Japanese) is an Asiatic species of family Paguridae crabs. Found readily in the Japan Sea, Far East Asia, and in the waters surrounding the Russian Federation, NUMEROUS studies have been done on this species due to its massive spawn rates and relative adaptability to captivity conditions. Furthermore, these little hermits exhibit some extremely complex mating behaviors! For example, during claw waving and ‘wrestling’ contests between males, precopulatory guarding, and lowered aggressiveness towards familiar victor males are common and well documented habits!

Pagurus middendorffii’s Latin suffix comes from Alexander Theodor von Middendorff, a Russian zoologist and explorer.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=366731
http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/bismal/j/view/9004851

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Andrew Thurber.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/24/2017: Kiwa puravida, or the Costa Rican Yeti Crab, is a recently discovered species of ‘cold-seep’ filter feeding “yeti crab” found on the 1,000-meter (3,300 ft) deep sea bottom off the coast of Costa Rica, middle Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. These crabs live at deep-sea cold seeps where they feed on symbiotic proteo-bacteria, which they cultivate on hair-like setae on their claws. The bacteria ‘eat’ the hydrogen sulfide and methane leaking out of the seeps, and as they multiply, a certain portion of them are harvested by the crabs as food. Furthermore, K. puravida actively waves its appendages over the vents in order to provide the bacteria with more oxygen and nutrients!

The Costa Rican Yeti Crab was discovered in 2006 by Deep-Sea Ecology rockstars Andrew Thurber, William J. Jones and Kareen Schnabel. The only other members of its family, Kiwa hirsuta, and the Hoff crab, or Kiwa tyleri, are crabs with similarly hairy claws, yet VERY different environmental needs and tolerances!

FUN FACT: The Latin suffix “Puravida” comes from a Costa Rican Spanish saying (used to answer "How are you doing?" or to say "Thanks") and translates as "pure life". Thurber gave this name to pay homage to the place it was discovered.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=590007
http://www.eol.org/pages/27490087/overview
http://www.nature.com/news/yeti-crab-gr ... ood-1.9537
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/articl ... ne.0026243
http://www.strangeanimals.info/2014/11/ ... avida.html

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Silke 'Prilfish' Baron.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/26/2017: Oncinopus postillonensis, called the Hiratsukunigani (ヒラツノクモガニ) in Japanese, is an Indo-West Pacific family Inachidae species of Decorator Crab, found in Southern Japanese, East Chinese, Philippine and Indonesian waters. First described by Griffin & Tranter in 1986, this yellow, lumpy crab typically covers itself with sponges and the like very sparsely, as its penchant for hiding on like-colored corals seems just as effective as the usual camouflage scheme.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=441928
http://www.eol.org/pages/12167459/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: J. Poupin.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/27/2017: Tetraxanthus bidentatus, called the Cornered Mud Crab for the obvious points on its carapace, is a Western-Central Atlantic, family Panopeidae species found in coastal Florida, the Yucatan, Cuba, and Grenada. This tropical benthic crincher hangs out at depths from 165 m - 536 m. FUN FACT: A lot of the digital media on this badboy misspells “cornered” as “vornered.” Nobody knows why!

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=422118
http://www.eol.org/pages/318439/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Simon Cribbes.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/28/2017: Naxia aurita (Latreille, 1825) or The Smooth Seaweed Crab, and sometimes The Golden Decorator Crab, is a South Australian family Majidae species of decorator. This cryptic ‘piriform,’ or pear-shaped crab, camouflages itself with seaweed, sponge and bryozoans. Oddly enough, despite however covered N. aurita’s carapace is, its chelipeds (the legs with claws) remain clear of camouflage. Living among subtidal algal beds in sheltered shores, these crabs survive by eating other invertebrates.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=442040
http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid: ... 5ec75571bf

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Jakob Fahr.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 03/29/2017: Chlorodiella nigra, called “Kurotenagaougigani” (クロテナガオウギガニ) in Japan, is an Indo-Pacific West species of family Xanthidae reef crab. Hailing from Madagascar in the West Pacific to Wallis & Futuna, and French Polynesia in the East Pacific, C. nigra is associated with corals, on which it hunts and sometimes creates havoc! Though the young of this species primarily feeds on algae, older crabs will go after invertebrates, small corals, worms, shrimp, and even fish! Sometimes these crabs find their way into saltwater aquariums via purchased corals. After biding their time for a period, these critters begin uprooting plants, knocking corals about, and generally begin being huge pests! Total “Bulls in a China Shop.”

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=209136
http://www.eol.org/pages/324837/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Colin Leel.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 04/01/2017: The Australian Shield Shrimp, or Triops australiensis, is a species of “Triops” or Tadpole Shrimp found exclusively in drying desert pools throughout Australia. This odd-looking primitive crustacean inhabits small, often temporary pools of water in arid regions. During the rainy season, when long dry pools fill with water, the resting eggs hatch into what’s called “nauplii,” which rapidly develop to adulthood only to lay their own eggs in a week or so. Believe it or not, T. australiensis eggs are highly drought resistant and can remain dormant for years in dried out mud until the net wet season. Furthermore, the eggs are easily dispersed by wind or by animals' feet.

Triops are considered living fossils, with a record that reaches back to the late Carboniferous period, 300 million years ago. These strange critters belong to a group of crustaceans called "branchiopods", which literally means that they possess "gill feet;" leaf-like, lobed feet, each bearing a gill plate to enable them to breathe.

http://eol.org/pages/3209891/overview
http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid: ... bfce3016e2

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Jose Mendoza and Peter Ng.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 04/01/2017: Harryplax severus, or the Severus Snape Crab! (WHAAAAAAAT?!?!) The only species in its genus, (Harryplax) H. severus, native to Guam, is a small rubble crab, first found by crab researcher/collector Harry T. Conley nearly 20 years ago. The genus name honors Conley, as well as the literary character Harry Potter, an allusion to Conley's "uncanny ability to collect rare and interesting creatures as if by magic." The species name alludes to Severus Snape, "an allusion to a notorious and misunderstood character in the Harry Potter novels, Professor Severus Snape, for his ability to keep one of the most important secrets in the story.” The name “severus” itself is Latin for "harsh," "rough" and "rigorous," which "alludes to the rigorous and laborious process by which this crab was collected! H. severus lives at deep depths, but has adapted to its environment by evolving to have small eyes, well-developed antennae and long, slender legs. It wasn't until recently that biologists Peter Ng and Jose Christopher E. Mendoza identified this rarely seen crab as a separate species from other similar-looking samples.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=951873
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017 ... s-severus/

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Gabriel Paladino.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 04/02/2017: Demania reynaudii opr Raynaud’s Crab is a fairly misunderstood family Xanthidae species of Indo-Oceania crab, frequently miss-identified. This crab is an EXTREMELY poisonous species, and should never, under ANY circumstances, be consumed by humans. Accounts of death due to ingestion are caused by palytoxin-like toxic compounds found within the crab. “Palytoxin” is an intense vasoconstrictor, and is considered to be one of the most toxic non-protein substances known. (Second only to maitotoxin in terms of toxicity!)

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=444246
http://www.eol.org/pages/12168058/overview
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palytoxin

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: J. Poupin.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 04/03/2017: Aulacolambrus hoplonotus, called The Rear-Spined Elbow Crab, the ‘Okinawa Crab,” (オキナヒシガニ in Japanese) and the Hairy Elbow Crab depending on the region. This Indo-Pacific crab is commonly found in Madagascar, Seychelles, Mauritius, Red Sea, Sri Lanka, Andamans, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Guam, New Caledonia, Hawaii, Fiji, and other parts of French Polynesia. Typically a bottom-silt dweller, A. hoplonotus unfortunately often finds itself the host of a parasitic castrating barnacle, Sacculina cavolinii.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=410797
http://www.eol.org/pages/313000/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Denis Riek.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 04/04/2017: Nucia speciosa, or The Raspberry Crab, or (イボツブコブシ) Ibotsubuko bushi (literally "Warty Fist" in Japanese!) is a TINY Hawaii/ South Africa/Indo West-Pacific family Leucosiidae species of purse crab. Predominantly a day-dweller, this 3/4 inch-wide crab is covered in glass-bead-like red, orange, and white granules. Additionally, Raspberry Crabs have 2 regularly-spaced carapace ‘lumps.’ Like other shallow reef invertebrates this little crab omnivorous and will feed on any smaller invertebrates or organic materials and detritus.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=209510
http://www.eol.org/pages/328228/overview

[Nezumiiro]

Photo Credit: Poupin & Corbari.

CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 04/05/2017: Chorinus heros, called The Shorthorn Decorator Crab, is a family Pisidae crab, native to the Western Atlantic including Bermuda, Florida, The Gulf of Mexico, The West Indies, Venezuela and Brazil. This hard rock/rubble dweller sticks to depth less than 100m, where by attaching small bits of sea junk to its shell, it blends in with its tidal world perfectly.

http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=422005
http://www.eol.org/pages/328228/overview