Butterfly crab

Cryptolithodes typicus, often referred to as the butterfly crab or the turtle crab,[3][4] is a species of lithodid crustacean native to coastal regions of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, ranging from Amchitka Island, Alaska to Santa Rosa Island, California.[5]

Butterfly crab

Secure  (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Family:
Lithodidae
Genus:
Cryptolithodes
Species:
C. typicus
Binomial name
Cryptolithodes typicus
Brandt, 1849[2]

Appearance

The crab's butterfly-shaped carapace has a stone-like camouflage, which it uses to blend in against the rocks of the subtidal and low intertidal zones.[3] Carapace color within the species varies greatly, but small individuals (< 15 mm (0.6 in) in length) are typically white, while larger ones tend to have an assortment of vibrant colors.[3] The carapace is exceptionally broad and completely hides the appendages when viewed from above or from the side; it has a median raised crest which is often a different color that contrasts with other parts. The male carapace is at its widest at a point further back than that of the female. The chelipeds of the male are relatively larger than the widest point of the female. The right claw is larger than the left and both claws are sharp, curved, and stout. Each segment of the walking legs has a dorsal crest.[3][6]

Habitat

The butterfly crab resides on rocks within the subtidal and low intertidal zones.[3][7] When its intertidal habitat is exposed to the atmosphere during extreme low tide, it can be found clinging to the substratum in rock crevices or at the base of the seagrass Phyllospadix.[3] It has been found to a depth of 73 meters (240 ft).[8]

Etymology

The genus name "Cryptolithodes" means "hidden stone",[3] while its species name "typicus" denotes it as the genus' type species. The nickname "butterfly crab" is derived from the crab's carapace, which resembles a butterfly, and the nickname "turtle crab" derives from the way its carapace covers its appendages from above and the sides.[3][9]

See also

References
  1. "Cryptolithodes typicus". NatureServe. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
  2. von Brandt, Johann Friedrich (1849). "Die Gattung Lithodes Latreille nebst vier neuen ihr verwandten von Wosnessenski entdeckten, als Typen einer besondern Unterabteilung (Tribus Lithodea) der Edwards'schen Anomuren". Bulletin de la Classe physico-mathématique de l'Académie Impériale des Sciences de Saint Pétersbourg (in German). 7: 171–175. ISSN 1029-998X.
  3. Hart, Josephine F. L. (May 1965). "Life History and Larval Development of Cryptolithodes typicus Brandt (Decapoda, Anomura) from British Columbia". Crustaceana. 8 (3): 255–276. doi:10.1163/156854065X00460. JSTOR 20102652.
  4. Lamb, Andy (2005). "AR140. Butterfly Crab". Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest: A Photographic Encyclopedia of Invertebrates, Seaweeds and Selected Fishes. Photography by Bernard P. Hanby. Harbour Publishing. p. 312. ISBN 978-1550173611. LCCN 2006389416.
  5. Hart, Josephine F. L. (1982). Crabs and their relatives of British Columbia (PDF). British Columbia Provincial Museum Handbook 40. ISBN 978-0771883149. LCCN 83138488. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 24, 2019.
  6. Coffin, Harold Glen (March 1952). Crabs of Puget Sound, Washington (PDF) (Master of Arts thesis). Walla Walla College. pp. 37–38. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 15, 2020.
  7. Barr, Nancy (November 1973). "Extension of the Known Range of the Crab, Cryptolithodes typicus Brandt, To Amchitka Island, Alaska (Decapoda, Anomura, Lithodidae)". Crustaceana. 25 (3): 320–321. doi:10.1163/156854073X00308. JSTOR 20102049.
  8. Gotshall, Daniel W. (2005). 2005 Guide to marine invertebrates: Alaska to Baja California (2nd, revised ed.). Sea Challengers. ISBN 978-0930118372. LCCN 2005042635.
  9. "Butterfly crab". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2020.

Further reading
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