Grapsus tenuicrustatus

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Grapsus tenuicrustatus
Grapsus tenuicrustatus-dorsal.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Grapsidae
Genus: Grapsus
Species:
G. tenuicrustatus
Binomial name
Grapsus tenuicrustatus
(Herbst, 1783)

Grapsus tenuicrustatus, commonly known as thin-shelled rock crab [1] or Natal lightfoot crab, [2] [3] is a species of decapod crustacean in the family Grapsidae.

Contents

The English common name natal sally-light-foot crab has been applied to the species by the FAO, [4] and as the synonym Grapsus grapsus tenuicrustatus suggests, it had sometimes been classified as a subspecies of the sally-lightfoot. [5]

Description and biology

Grapsus tenuicrustatus can be characterized by its deep purple to black carapace and many light colored markings while it is alive. However, as individuals shed their shell or die, the carapace the thin-shelled rock crab leaves behind turns a bright red-orangey color. The species goes by various names in different cultures. The Hawaiian name for the species is a'ama. [6] In the Philippines they are known as Katang. [7] Fully grown, the thin-shelled rock crab can reach lengths of 6-8 centimeters. The males of the species tend to be smaller in size compared to their female counterparts. Their lifespan in the wild is uncertain, but has been shown to be 7-10 years in captivity. [8]

Habitat and distribution

The thin-shelled rock crab can be normally be found among rocky outcrops that allow for a safe place to escape to when there are signs of danger. [9] The range of the Grapsus Tenuicrustatus is listed as Indo-Pacific, found near beaches and tidepools along the shore. [10]

Human use

Culinary

The thin-shelled rock crab is sought after as a food source in many different cultures. In the Philippines, they are caught and put through a fermentation process and have their roe harvested. [11] Across the Pacific, the people of Hawai'i ate the crabs raw and lightly salted when the seas were rough. [12]

Related Research Articles

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<i>Stenorhynchus seticornis</i> Species of crab

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<i>Grapsus grapsus</i> Species of crab

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

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

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<i>Leptograpsus</i> Genus of crabs

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<i>Plagusia squamosa</i> Species of crab

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

Pachygrapsus marmoratus is a species of crab, sometimes called the marbled rock crab or marbled crab, which lives in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is dark violet brown, with yellow marbling, and with a body up to 36 millimetres (1.4 in) long. A semiterrestrial omnivore, it feeds on algae and various animals including mussels and limpets.

<i>Dardanus pedunculatus</i> Species of crustacean

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<i>Charybdis natator</i> Species of crab

Charybdis natator, the ridged swimming crab, wrinkled swimming crab or rock crab, is a widespread Indo-Pacific species of swimming crab from the genus Charybdis. It gets its name from the ridges on the dorsal surface of the carapace. It is a crab species which is of minor importance in fisheries.

Atergatis roseus, the rosy egg crab, is a species of reef crab from the family Xanthidae with a natural range extending from the Red Sea to Fiji. It has colonised the eastern Mediterranean by Lessepsian migration through the Suez Canal. The flesh of this crab, like many other species in the family Xanthidae, is toxic.

<i>Grapsus albolineatus</i> Species of crab

Grapsus albolineatus is a species of decapod crustacean in the family Grapsidae, native to the Indo-Pacific.

References

  1. "Thin Shelled Rock Crab, A'ama, Natal Lightfoot Crab Grapsus tenuicrustatus". Project Noah.
  2. "Grapsus tenuicrustatus (J. F. W. Herbst, 1783)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  3. Palomares, M.L.D.; D. Pauly, eds. (2020). "Grapsus tenuicrustatus (Herbst, 1783) Natal lightfoot crab". SeaLifeBase.
  4. Carpenter, Kent E.; Niem, Volker H., eds. (1998), The Living Marine Resources of the Western Central Pacific, vol. 2, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, pp. 1142, 1383, ISBN   9789251040522
  5. Emmerson, W. D. (2017), A Guide to, and Checklist for, the Decapoda of Namibia, South Africa and Mozambique, vol. 3, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, p. 184, ISBN   9781443896122
  6. "Thin Shelled Rock Crab, A'ama, Natal Lightfoot Crab". Project Noah. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  7. Kensley, B. F. (1970-05-21). "The occurrence of <i>Grapsus Grapsus Tenuicrustatus </i>(Herbst) at the Tsitsikama Coastal National Park (Decapoda, Braghyura, Grapsidae)". Koedoe. 13 (1). doi:10.4102/koedoe.v13i1.734. ISSN   2071-0771.
  8. Miller, Nick. "Grapsus grapsus (Sally Lightfoot crab)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  9. "Thin Shelled Rock Crab, A'ama, Natal Lightfoot Crab". Project Noah. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  10. "Grapsus tenuicrustatus, Natal lightfoot crab : fisheries". www.sealifebase.ca. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
  11. Kensley, B. F. (1970-05-21). "The occurrence of <i>Grapsus Grapsus Tenuicrustatus </i>(Herbst) at the Tsitsikama Coastal National Park (Decapoda, Braghyura, Grapsidae)". Koedoe. 13 (1). doi:10.4102/koedoe.v13i1.734. ISSN   2071-0771.
  12. Titcomb, Margaret (1972-12-31). "Native Use of Fish in Hawaii". doi:10.1515/9780824846473.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)