Carcinisation is a form of convergent evolution in which non-crab crustaceans evolve a crab-like body plan. The term was introduced into evolutionary biology by L. A. Borradaile, who described it as "the many attempts of Nature to evolve a crab".
Oedignathus inermis is a species of king crab found off the Pacific coasts of the United States and Canada, from California to Alaska, and disjunctly around the coasts of Japan. It is the only species in the genus Oedignathus, and is sometimes called the granular claw crab, paxillose crab, or tuberculate nestling lithode crab.
Hippoidea is a superfamily of decapod crustaceans known as mole crabs or sand crabs.
Lithodes santolla, also known as the southern king crab, Chilean king crab or centolla, is a species of king crab, found off southern South America including the offshore Falkland Islands. On the Pacific side, it is found in Chile from Talcahuano to Cape Horn. On the Atlantic side, it is found off Argentina and Uruguay. It lives in the benthic zone at depths of 0–700 m (0–2,300 ft), with Uruguayan records being exclusively from great depths. In Chile, it mostly lives at depths to 150 m (490 ft), but south of 40° S it can be found to 600 m (2,000 ft). It is a large crab that can reach up to 19 cm (7.5 in) in carapace length, and it is the target of commercial fishing.
Paralomis is a widely distributed, highly speciose, and morphologically diverse genus of king crabs in the subfamily Lithodinae.
Profilicollis is a genus of acanthocephalan parasites of crustaceans. The status of the genus Profilicollis has been debated, and species placed in this genus were formerly included in the genus Polymorphus. However, research on the morphology of the group and their use of hosts has concluded that Profilicollis and Polymorphus should be regarded as distinct genera, and species previously described as Polymorphus altmani are now referred to as Profilicollis altmani in taxonomic and biological literature. Profilicollis parasites infect decapod crustaceans, usually shore crabs, as intermediate hosts, and use many species of shorebirds as definitive (final) hosts.
Bellia picta is a species of crab that lives around the coasts of South America, and the only species in the genus Bellia. On the Atlantic coast, it is found in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, while on the Pacific coast, it is found off Peru and Chile. It probably lives in burrows and is a filter feeder.
Dardanus pedunculatus, commonly referred to as the anemone hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab from the Indo-Pacific region. It lives at depths of up to 27 m and collects sea anemones to place on its shell for defence.
The Aeglidae are a family of freshwater crustaceans currently restricted to South America. They are the only anomurans to be found in fresh water except for a single hermit crab species, Clibanarius fonticola, on Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. They live between 20° S and 50° S, at altitudes between 320 and 3,500 m (1,050–11,480 ft).
Amarinus lacustris is a species of freshwater crab from Australia, New Zealand and nearby islands, where it lives in water of various salinities. It grows up to 10 mm (0.4 in) wide, with an H-shaped groove on its back. It is an omnivore and is eaten by crayfish and fish. It was first discovered in Lake Pupuke, near Auckland, and is the only freshwater crab in New Zealand.
Pagurus sinuatus is a large species of hermit crab found in Australia and the Kermadec Islands. It is red or orange in colour with coloured bands on the legs and patches on the body.
The Pylojacquesidae are a small family of hermit crabs, comprising only two monotypic genera. The family was erected in 2001, after two specimens at Museum für Naturkunde at the Humboldt University of Berlin were recognised as being quite distinct from other described hermit crabs. The family members differ from other hermit crabs in that their mandibles are chitinous and toothed.
Calcinus tubularis is a species of hermit crab. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea and around islands in the Atlantic Ocean, where it lives below the intertidal zone. Its carapace, eyestalks and claws are marked with numerous red spots. C. tubularis and its sister species, C. verrilli, are the only hermit crabs known to show sexual dimorphism in shell choice, with males using normal marine gastropod shells, while females use shells of gastropods in the family Vermetidae, which are attached to rocks or other hard substrates.
Neolithodes is a genus of king crabs, in the family Lithodidae. They are found in all major oceans, both in high and low latitudes. Although there are records from water as shallow as 124 m (407 ft) in cold regions, most records are much deeper, typically 700–2,000 m (2,300–6,600 ft), with the deepest confirmed at 5,238 m (17,185 ft). They are fairly large to large crabs that typically are reddish in color and spiny, although the size of these spines varies depending on species.
Allopetrolisthes spinifrons is a species of porcelain crab. It displays "hypercarcinisation", whereby the resemblance to a true crab is enhanced by sexual dimorphism of the abdomen. It lives along the Pacific coast of Peru and Chile, as a symbiont of a sea anemone.
Albunea carabus is a rare species of "sand crab" or "mole crab" in the family Albuneidae. It lives in shallow, turbulent waters in sandy areas of the tropical eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
Petrolisthes armatus, the green porcelain crab, is a species of small porcelain crab in the family Porcellanidae. It is believed to be native to Brazil but has spread to other parts of the world. Populations in the south eastern part of the United States have increased dramatically and the species is considered to be an invasive species.
Paralomis zealandica, also known as the prickly king crab, is a species of king crab which lives at a depth between 254–1,212 m (833–3,976 ft) in New Zealand. It has a spiky carapace.
Petrolisthes violaceus is a species of porcelain crab endemic to the south-eastern Pacific.
Aegla alacalufi is a species of freshwater crustacean found in the streams and lakes of Chile's southwestern coast. It is found both on islands and on the mainland, and its population is small, sparse, and isolated.
