Cycloxanthops novemdentatus

Last updated

Cycloxanthops novemdentatus
Cycloxanthops sexdecimdentatus and Cycloxanthops novemdentatus - 10743-0110020.jpg
Top: Cycloxanthops sexdecimdentatus, Middle and bottom: Cycloxanthops novemdentatus
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Xanthidae
Genus: Cycloxanthops
Species:
C. novemdentatus
Binomial name
Cycloxanthops novemdentatus
Lockington, 1877 [1]
Synonyms
  • Xanthodes novemdentatus
  • Cycloxanthus californiensis
  • Cycloxanthus rugosa

Cycloxanthops novemdentatus, commonly referred to as the ninetooth pebble crab, is a small crab in the family Xanthidae. [1]

Contents

Description

Cycloxanthops novemdentatus is typically brown or red in color, but can also be purple. [2] Individuals of this species often have dark or light markings on their shell which are still present after molting, however, shell color may change over time. [3] This organism gets its common name from the two sets of anterolateral teeth on the front edge of its carapace, each consisting of nine teeth. [2] [3] The carapace can reach up to 3.75 inches in width. [2]

Immature individuals can be distinguished from adults by the width of the third and sixth abdominal segments, length of marginal abdominal hair, sparse layer of hair on the swimmerets, and the presence of a structure known as a "lock mechanism" on males. [4] After individuals reach approximately 6.5 mm in carapace width, sexual dimorphism is apparent due to the different size and shape of abdominal segments. [4]

Cycloxanthops novemdentatus is the largest member of the family Xanthidae found in California. [2]

Distribution and habitat

Cycloxanthops novemdentatus can be found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, from Monterey, CA to Baja California, [3] but is most abundant in the southernmost portions of coastal southern California. [2]

Cycloxanthops novemdentatus lives in rocky intertidal and subtidal habitats to a depth of 240 m. Younger crabs are typically found in higher regions of the intertidal than adults. [2]

Ecology

Diet

Cycloxanthops novemdentatus has been observed cracking open and feeding upon purple sea urchins. [3] It is also known to eat other crab species. [2]

Defense

When threatened, C. novemdentatus may freeze in place. It is thought that this is an attempt to remain undetected. [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>Scylla serrata</i> Species of crab

Scylla serrata is an ecologically important species of crab found in the estuaries and mangroves of Africa, Australia, and Asia. In their most common forms, their shell colours vary from a deep, mottled green to very dark brown.

<i>Metacarcinus gracilis</i> Species of crab

The graceful rock crab or slender crab, Metacarcinus gracilis or Cancer gracilis, is one of two members of the genus Metacarcinus, with white tipped chelae (claws). The second crab in the genus to have white tipped claws is M. magister. Both of these eastern Pacific crab species are recognized by ITIS as belonging to the much larger genus Cancer. M. gracilis has been caught from Alaska to Bahía Magdelena, Baja California. Although M. gracilis is only found in the Pacific Ocean, it has cousins in the Atlantic Ocean. The genus Cancer apparently evolved in the Pacific Ocean and later migrated to the Atlantic Ocean. Larvae and small juveniles of this species are often seen riding jellyfish, especially Phacellophora camtschatica. The juvenile crabs steal food from the jellyfish and also clean off parasitic amphipods.

<i>Coenobita brevimanus</i> Species of crustacean

Coenobita brevimanus is a species of terrestrial hermit crab belonging to the family Coenobitidae, which is composed of coastal living terrestrial hermit crabs. From there it belongs to the genus Coenobita, one of two genera split from the family, which contains sixteen species. The Latin origins of the species name, brevimanus, come from the adjective brevis ("small") and the noun manus ("hands"). It is known as the Indos crab or Indonesian crab because it is primarily distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Hemigrapsus sexdentatus</i> Species of crab

Hemigrapsus sexdentatus, also called the “common rock crab” or “common shore crab,” is a marine crab indigenous to the southern shores of New Zealand. This crab is a member of the Varunidae family in the order Decapoda.

<i>Hemigrapsus crenulatus</i> Species of crab

Hemigrapsus crenulatus, the hairy-handed crab or papaka huruhuru, is a marine crab of the family Varunidae, endemic to the New Zealand coast, although a taxon in Chile may be conspecific. It is an intertidal species with semi-terrestrial tendencies. They are named by their characteristic setae, or patches of thick hair, on the chelipeds and legs. They can range from green to brown in coloration. Adult crabs are generally 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) wide at the carapace, although the smallest mature crabs can be around just 1 cm (0.4 in) wide. and are able to survive and reproduce in environments of widely varying salinities.

<i>Cyclograpsus lavauxi</i> Species of crab

The Smooth Shore Crab is a marine large-eyed crab of the family Grapsidae, found in New Zealand and the Juan Fernández Islands of Chile.

<i>Leptograpsus</i> Genus of crabs

Leptograpsus variegatus, known as the purple rock crab, is a marine large-eyed crab of the family Grapsidae, found in southern subtropical Indo-Pacific Oceans. It grows to around 50 millimetres (2.0 in) shell width. It is the only species in the genus Leptograpsus.

<i>Cancer productus</i> Species of crab

Cancer productus, one of several species known as red rock crabs, is a crab of the genus Cancer found on the western coast of North America. This species is commonly nicknamed the Pearl of the Pacific Northwest.

<i>Pagurus hirsutiusculus</i> Species of crustacean

Pagurus hirsutiusculus is a species of hermit crab, commonly called the hairy hermit crab. It lives from the Bering Strait south to California and Japan, from the intertidal zone to a depth of 110 m (360 ft).

<i>Hemigrapsus oregonensis</i> Species of crab

Hemigrapsus oregonensis is a small shore crab of the family Varunidae; formerly classified under the family Grapsidae. It is known under several common names, including yellow shore crab, hairy shore crab, green shore crab, mud-flat crab, bay shore crab and Oregon shore crab. Despite its common name, the crab actually has a wide variety of coloration. It is found along the West Coast of the United States and Canada, specifically along shorelines and similar geographical areas. In 2009, H. oregonensis was included on a list of animals petitioning for the endangered species label, but there was not enough scientific information available for it to be considered as such, so it remains unevaluated to the present day.

<i>Pachygrapsus crassipes</i> Species of crab

Pachygrapsus crassipes, the striped shore crab or lined shore crab, is a small crab found on both rocky and hard-mud soft seashores of the northeastern and northwestern Pacific Ocean. In North America, this species occurs from central Oregon, south through California to near Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. There is an isolated population with a wide range disjunction at Bamfield on Vancouver Island, Canada. The western Pacific population, including both Korea and Japan is isolated with a divergence time from the eastern Pacific population estimated between 0.8 and 1.2 Mya.

<i>Cryptolithodes sitchensis</i> Species of king crab

Cryptolithodes sitchensis, known as the umbrella crab and the turtle crab, is a species of king crab native to coastal regions of the northeastern regions of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Sitka, Alaska to Point Loma, California. Its carapace extends over its legs such that when it pulls in its legs, it resembles a small stone. It lives in rocky areas from the low intertidal to depths of 37 m (121 ft).

<i>Xantho hydrophilus</i> Species of crab

Xantho hydrophilus, the furrowed crab or Montagu's crab, is a species of crab from the family Xanthidae. It is yellowish-brown and grows to a carapace width of 70 mm (2.8 in). It is a nocturnal omnivore that lives in shallow marine waters from western Scotland to the Cape Verde Islands.

<i>Guinotellus</i> Genus of crabs

Guinotellus melvillensis is a species of crabs in the family Xanthidae, the only species in the genus Guinotellus. It is a benthic crab with an ovate carapace within the subfamily Euxanthinae.

<i>Pagurus samuelis</i> Species of crustacean

Pagurus samuelis, the blueband hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab from the west coast of North America, and the most common hermit crab in California. It is a small species, with distinctive blue bands on its legs. It prefers to live in the shell of the black turban snail, and is a nocturnal scavenger of algae and carrion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Butterfly crab</span> Species of king crab

Cryptolithodes typicus, often referred to as the butterfly crab or the turtle crab, 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.

<i>Oregonia gracilis</i> Species of crab

Oregonia gracilis, commonly known as the graceful decorator crab, is a species of crab belonging to the family Oregoniidae. Like other decorator crabs it habitually attaches other organisms to its back. The sessile organisms are attached to hooked setae that act as a sort of velcro attachment. This decoration provides visual and chemical camouflage thus reducing predation risk. Pacific halibut are a major predator of O. gracilis. Other predators include octopus and sea otters. The main food source of O. gracilis is floating kelp and algae that they capture utilizing a waiting strategy in order to maintain cryptosis.

<i>Dyspanopeus sayi</i> Species of crab

Dyspanopeus sayi is a species of mud crab that is native to the Atlantic coast of North America. It has also become established outside its native range, living in Swansea Docks since 1960, the Mediterranean Sea since the 1970s, the North Sea since 2007 and the Black Sea since 2010. It can reach a carapace width of 20 mm (0.8 in), and has black tips to its unequal claws. It feeds on bivalves and barnacles, and is in turn eaten by predators including the Atlantic blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Eggs are produced from spring to autumn, the offspring reach sexual maturity the following summer, and individuals can live for up to two years. The closest relative of D. sayi is D. texanus, which lives in the Gulf of Mexico; the two species differ in subtle features of the genitalia and the last pair of walking legs.

<i>Oregonia bifurca</i> Species of crab

Oregonia bifurca, commonly known as the split-nose crab or the split-nose decorator crab, is a species of crabs belonging to the family Oregoniidae. It is a rare deep-water species that inhabits the tops of seamounts and guyots in the northeastern Pacific Ocean; from the Aleutian Islands, the Bering Sea, the Hawaiian–Emperor seamount chain, to the waters off British Columbia. It is closely related to the more common shallow-water species Oregonia gracilis, the graceful decorator crab.

Calcinus verrillii, commonly known as Verrill's hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab in the genus Calcinus which is endemic to Bermuda. It was first described by the American zoologist Mary J. Rathbun and named in honour of the American zoologist Addison Emery Verrill, who spent much time with his students studying the geology and marine fauna of Bermuda.

References

  1. 1 2 "Cycloxanthops novemdentatus (Lockington, 1877)". World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sheldon, Ian (2007). Seashore of southern California. [Edmonton, Alta.]: Lone Pine Publishers. ISBN   9781551052328. OCLC   70777878.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Knudsen, Jens W. (1960). "Aspects of the Ecology of the California Pebble Crabs (Crustacea: Xanthidae)". Ecological Monographs. 30 (2): 165–185. doi:10.2307/1948550. JSTOR   1948550.
  4. 1 2 Knudsen, J.W. (1960). "Reproduction, life history, and larval ecology of the California Xanthidae, the pebble crabs" (PDF). Pacific Science. 14: 3–17.