Square crabs

Square crabs
Grapsus grapsus
Systematics
Class : Higher crabs (Malacostraca) Order : Decapods (decapoda) Subordination : Pleocyemata Partial order : Crab (Brachyura) Superfamily : Grapsoidea Family : Square crabs
Scientific name
Grapsidae
MacLeay , 1838

The square crabs (Grapsidae) are a family of crustaceans from the suborder of the crabs (Brachyura) in the order of the decapods (Decapoda). They live semi-aquatic (half on land, half in water) in both fresh water and the sea. They occur mainly in the tropics, only a few species live in temperate latitudes.

Square crabs can be recognized by their typical square, flattened body. The gill cavity of the square crab needs to be hydrated. Therefore, and in order to wean the larvae, the square crabs have to go back into the water.

Systematics

Pachygrapsus marmoratus on Cabo Palus, Spain

The family of the square crabs consists of 8 recent genera with a total of 41 species:

• Geograpsus Stimpson, 1858
• Goniopsis De Haan, 1833
• Grapsus Lamarck, 1801 ; Eight types, u. a. With:
  • Red cliff crab ( Grapsus grapsus ): This species of crab is native to the Galapagos Islands and the South American Pacific coast.
• Leptograpsodes Montgomery, 1931
• Leptograpsus H. Milne Edwards, 1853
  • Leptograpsus variegatus
• Metopograpsus H. Milne Edwards, 1853
• Pachygrapsus Randall, 1840 : The species of this genus are distributed worldwide. They are alsofrequently found inthe Mediterranean Sea and on the islands of the eastern Atlantic on rocky coasts, fortifications and on harbor walls.
• Planes Bowdich, 1825

swell

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Sammy De Grave, N. Dean Pentcheff, Shane T. Ahyong et al .: A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans . In: Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . Supplement No. 21. 2009, p. 1–109 ( pdf 7.73Mb [accessed March 12, 2012]).

Web links

Commons : Square Crabs  - Collection of images, videos and audio files