Discoplax hirtipes

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Discoplax hirtipes
Specimen of Discoplax hirtipes.JPG
Scientific classification
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D. hirtipes
Binomial name
Discoplax hirtipes
(Dana, 1851)  [1]
Synonyms

Cardiosoma hirtipesDana, 1851

Discoplax hirtipes is a species of terrestrial crab.

In biology, a species ( ) is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. While these definitions may seem adequate, when looked at more closely they represent problematic species concepts. For example, the boundaries between closely related species become unclear with hybridisation, in a species complex of hundreds of similar microspecies, and in a ring species. Also, among organisms that reproduce only asexually, the concept of a reproductive species breaks down, and each clone is potentially a microspecies.

Terrestrial crab

A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families Gecarcinidae and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as Sesarma, although the term "land crab" is often used to mean solely the family Gecarcinidae.

Contents

Description and behaviour

D. hirtipes can be distinguished from other members of the genus Discoplax by the smooth and distinctly inflated carapace. It is also blue or blue-brown in colour, compared to purple or purple-brown in the remaining species. [2]

<i>Discoplax</i> genus of crustaceans

Discoplax is a genus of terrestrial crabs. It is very closely related to the genus Cardisoma.

Carapace part of exoskeleton in some animals

A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.

The breeding season for D. hirtipes lasts seven months, and females must migrate to the sea to release their larvae. [3]

Distribution

D. hirtipes has a wide distribution across the western Pacific Ocean. [4] It has been recorded from southern Japan, Taiwan, southern China, Palau, Guam, eastern Australia, Fiji, Hawaii (a single record, almost certainly erroneous), the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore. [5] [6] Records from the Indian Ocean are now considered to belong to two related species, D. celeste (Christmas Island only) and D. magna (relatively widespread in eastern Indian Ocean). [4] [6]

Pacific Ocean Ocean between Asia and Australia in the west, the Americas in the east and Antarctica or the Southern Ocean in the south.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south and is bounded by Asia and Australia in the west and the Americas in the east.

Japan Constitutional monarchy in East Asia

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asian continent and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and the Philippine Sea in the south.

Taiwan state in East Asia

Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the northeast, and the Philippines to the south. Taiwan is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN).

Taxonomic history

Discoplax hirtipes was originally described by James Dwight Dana under the name Cardisoma hirtipes. His description was published in 1851 based on material collected on the United States Exploring Expedition ("Wilkes expedition") in Fiji. [7] The type material has been lost, so a neotype from Fiji was designated in 2012. [4]

James Dwight Dana American mineralogist

James Dwight Dana FRS FRSE was an American geologist, mineralogist, volcanologist, and zoologist. He made pioneering studies of mountain-building, volcanic activity, and the origin and structure of continents and oceans around the world.

United States Exploring Expedition An exploring and surveying expedition, 1838 to 1842

The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. Funding for the original expedition was requested by President John Quincy Adams in 1828, however, Congress would not implement funding until eight years later. In May 1836, the oceanic exploration voyage was finally authorized by Congress and created by President Andrew Jackson.

Related Research Articles

The stalk-eyed mud crab, Macrophthalmus hirtipes, is a marine large-eyed crab of the family Macrophthalmidae, endemic to New Zealand including Campbell Island. It grows to around 30 millimetres (1.2 in) shell width. It is either the only species in the subgenus Hemiplax and the most basal species in the genus Macrophthalmus, or the only species in the sister genus Hemiplax.

<i>Discoplax longipes</i> species of crustacean

Discoplax longipes is a species of terrestrial crab. It is found in karstic caves on Pacific islands and ranges from the Loyalty Islands to French Polynesia. Mating occurs in the caves, after which the females migrate to the sea to release their fertilised eggs. The genus Discoplax was for a long time synonymised with Cardisoma, but was resurrected in the late 20th century.

<i>Gecarcinus</i> genus of crustaceans

Gecarcinus is the type genus of the land crab family Gecarcinidae. They are found in warmer coastal regions of the Americas, including islands in the Caribbean. Four species from oceanic islands were formerly included in Gecarcinus as the subgenus Johngarthia, but are now treated as a separate genus, Johngarthia. While all members of this genus are largely terrestrial, they have to return to the ocean to breed. They are often colourful, with reddish, orange, purple, yellowish, whitish or blackish being the dominating hues. This has resulted in some species, notably G. quadratus and G. lateralis, gaining a level of popularity in the pet-trade.

<i>Johngarthia</i> genus of crustaceans

Johngarthia is a genus of crabs in the land crab family Gecarcinidae, formerly included in the genus Gecarcinus, and containing the following five species:

Eubrachyura

Eubrachyura is a group of crustaceans comprising the more derived crabs. It is divided into two subsections, based on the position of the genital openings in the two sexes. In the Heterotremata, the openings are on the legs in the males, but on the sternum in females, while in the Thoracotremata, the openings are on the sternum in both sexes. This contrasts with the situation in other decapods, in which the genital openings are always on the legs. Heterotremata is the larger of the two groups, containing the species rich superfamilies Xanthoidea and Pilumnoidea and all the freshwater crabs. The fossil record of Eubrachyura extends back to the Cretaceous; the supposed Bathonian representative of the group, Hebertides jurassica, ultimately turned out to be Cenozoic in age.

Cheiragonidae family of crustaceans

Cheiragonidae is a small family of crabs, sometimes called helmet crabs, placed in its own superfamily, Cheriagonoidea. It comprises three extant species, Erimacrus isenbeckii, Telmessus acutidens and Telmessus cheiragonus, there are no yet evidences of Cheiragonidae in the fossil record. Many of these crabs were formerly treated as members of the Atelecyclidae.

Vultocinus anfractus is a species of crab, the only species in the family Vultocinidae. It has been found around the Philippines, Vanuatu and New Caledonia, and lives on driftwood. Its discovery forced a reappraisal of the relationships within the superfamily Goneplacoidea, and to the recognition of Mathildellidae, Conleyidae and Progeryonidae as separate families.

Plagusiidae family of crustaceans

The Plagusiidae are a family of crabs, formerly treated as a subfamily of the family Grapsidae, but have since been considered sufficiently distinct to be a family in their own right. The family Plagusiidae includes the subfamily Plagusiinae, comprising the genera Percnon and Plagusia, which constitute a widespread group of litophilic, intertidal and subtidal crabs that are notorious for their speed and their agility.

Pseudozioidea is a superfamily of crabs, formerly treated in the Eriphioidea, Carpilioidea, Xanthoidea, Pilumnoidea and Goneplacoidea. A number of fossils from the Eocene onwards are known from the family Pseudoziidae. Eleven genera are recognised in three families:

<i>Hemigrapsus</i> genus of crustaceans

Hemigrapsus is a genus of varunid crabs comprising thirteen species found almost exclusively in the Pacific Ocean.

Villalobosius is a genus of crabs in the family Pseudothelphusidae, containing a single species, Villalobosius lopezformenti. It lives in the northern part of the state of Oaxaca, Mexico, on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and is adapted to a troglobitic lifestyle.

Karstarma is a genus of karst-dwelling crabs formerly included in Sesarmoides.

Cyrtocarcinus truncatus is a species of crab in the family Xanthidae that lives in the waters around Hawaii. It was described in 1906 by Mary J. Rathbun as Harrovia truncata, based on a single immature male specimen caught near Kauai. Masatsune Takeda transferred the species to his new genus Glyptocarcinus in 1979, and Peter Ng and Diana Chia erected a new genus, Cyrtocarcinus, for this species alone, in 1994.

Vellodius etisoides is a species of crab in the family Xanthidae. It was originally described as Pilodius etisoides, but was transferred to the monotypic genus Vellodius in 1998. It is found around Amami Ōshima in the Ryūkyū Islands, and the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

Demania is a genus of crabs in the family Xanthidae, containing the following species:

Euryxanthops is a genus of crabs in the family Xanthidae. It was originally established in 1983 by Garth & Kim to contain three species of deep-water crabs from Japan and the Philippines - Euryxanthops dorsiconvexus, Euryxanthops flexidentatus and Euryxanthops orientalis. Since then, several more species of this genus have been identified and described, and Euryxanthops currently contains:

Linnaeoxanthus is a genus of crab, whose only species is Linnaeoxanthus acanthomerus. Linnaeoxanthus is the only genus of the family Linnaeoxanthidae.

Hainanpotamon is a genus of freshwater crabs, containing the following species:

<i>Pilumnoides</i> genus of crustaceans

Pilumnoides is a genus of crabs in the family Pilumnoididae. It contains the following species:

References

  1. James Dwight Dana (1851). "Conspectus Crustaceorum quae in Orbis Terrarum circumnavigatione, Carolo Wilkes e classe Reipublicae Foederatae Duce, lexit et descriptsit J.D. Dana". Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia . 5: 247–254.
  2. Peter K. L. Ng & Danièle Guinot (2001). "On the land crabs of the genus Discoplax A. Milne Edwards, 1867 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinidae), with description of a new cavernicolous species from the Philippines" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . 49 (2): 311 338.
  3. Richard G. Hartnoll (2010). "Chastity belts and planktotrophic larvae: constraints on gecarcinid reproductive behaviour". In Peter Castro, Peter J. F. Davie & Peter K. L. Ng. Studies on Brachyura: A Homage to Danièle Guinot. Volume 11 of Crustaceana Monographs. Brill Publishers. pp. 153–171. ISBN   978-90-04-17086-5.
  4. 1 2 3 Peter K. L. Ng & Peter J. F. Davie (2012). "The blue crab of Christmas Island, Discoplax celeste, new species (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinidae)" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . 60 (1): 89–100.
  5. "Discoplax hirtipes". Crabs of Japan. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  6. 1 2 Peter K. L. Ng & Tsi-Te Shih (2014). "The systematics of the land crabs of the Discoplax hirtipes (Dana, 1851) species-group (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Gecarcinidae), with description of a new species from the eastern Indian Ocean". Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . Supplement No. 30: 109–135.
  7. "Species Discoplax hirtipes (Dana, 1851)". Australian Faunal Directory . Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts. January 29, 2010. Retrieved November 12, 2010.