Jacquinotia

Jacquinotia Temporal range: Late Pliocene–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Brachyura
Family:	Majidae
Genus:	Jacquinotia Rathbun, 1915
Species:	J. edwardsii
Binomial name
Jacquinotia edwardsii (Jacquinot in Jacquinot & Lucas, 1853) [1]

Jacquinotia is a genus of spider crab that contains one species, Jacquinotia edwardsii. ^[2] J. edwardsii is the largest crab in New Zealand and is commonly known as the southern spider crab or the giant spider crab. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

Description

Jacquinotia edwardsii has a rough, triangular-knobbed shape carapace, which is dirty white in colour. Males are much larger than females and reach a legspan of up to 100 cm (39 in) and a carapace length up to 20 cm (7.9 in). ^[5]

Distribution

Jacquinotia edwardsii is found in southern New Zealand, from Mernoo Gap to the Campbell Islands, in the intertidal zone and to a depth of 500 m (1,600 ft). ^[5] Fossils have been found from the late Pleistocene to the early Pliocene which are referable to J. edwardsii or – for the oldest known specimen – very similar. ^[6]

Ecology

The maturity size for males is about 110 mm (4.3 in), and 100 mm (3.9 in) for females, but the age for the southern spider crabs are unknown. The larvae start between September and November. Males may consume other shells, while females are detritivores. ^[5] Jacquinotia edwardsii is commercially fished. ^[5]

References

1. Jacquinot, Honoré; Lucas, Hippolyte (1853). Hombron, J.B.; Jacquinot, Honoré (eds.). Voyage au Pole Sud et dans l'Océanie sur les Corvettes l'Astrolabe et la Zélée; Exécuté par ordre du Roi Pendant les Années 1837-1838-1839-1840, sous le Commandement de M. J. Dumont-d'Urville, Capitaine de Vaisseau; Publie par Ordre du Gouvernement, sous la Direction Supérieure de M. Jacquinot, Capitaine de Vaisseau, Commandant de la Zélée. Zoologie. Vol. 3. Paris: J. Baudry.
2. De Grave, Sammy (22 November 2019). "Jacquinotia Rathbun, 1915". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 6 July 2025.
3. Soboil, M.L.; Craig, A. (2008). "Self governance in New Zealand's developmental fisheries: deep-sea crabs". In Townsend, Ralph Edwin; Shotton, Ross; Uchida, Hirotsugu (eds.). Case Studies in Fisheries Self-governance. FAO Fisheries Technical Paper. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
4. Webber, W. Richard; Wear, Robert G. (1981). "Life history studies on New Zealand Brachyura *5. Larvae of the family Majidae". New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research. 15 (4): 331–383. doi: 10.1080/00288330.1981.9515929 .
5. "Crab, Giant Spider". www.marinelife.ac.nz. Retrieved 5 July 2025.
6. Yaldwyni, John Cameron; Beu, Alan Glenn (1977). "Appendix 1: The fossil occurrence of Jacquinotia edwardsii". New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics . 20 (2): 237–243. doi: 10.1080/00288306.1977.10420702 .