King crab

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King crabs
Temporal range: Early Miocene–Recent
Spiny king crab md.jpg
Paralithodes californiensis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
(unranked): Reptantia
Infraorder: Anomura
Superfamily: Paguroidea
Samouelle, 1819
Family: Lithodidae
Samouelle, 1819
Genera [1]

Hapalogastrinae Brandt, 1850

LithodinaeSamouelle, 1819

King crabs are decapod crustaceans of the family Lithodidae [b] that are chiefly found in deep waters and are adapted to cold environments. [2] [3] They are composed of two subfamilies: Lithodinae, which tend to inhabit deep waters, are globally distributed, and comprise the majority of the family's species diversity; [3] [4] and Hapalogastrinae, which are endemic to the North Pacific and inhabit exclusively shallow waters. [3] King crabs superficially resemble true crabs but are generally understood to be closest to the pagurid hermit crabs. [2] [4] [5] This placement of king crabs among the hermit crabs is supported by several anatomical peculiarities which are present only in king crabs and hermit crabs, making them a prominent example of carcinisation among decapods. [6] Several species of king crabs, especially in Alaskan and southern South American waters, are targeted by commercial fisheries and have been subject to overfishing. [2] [7] [8]

Contents

Taxonomy

The phylogeny of king crabs as hermit crabs who underwent secondary calcification and left their shell has been suspected since the late 1800s. [4] They are believed to have originated during the Early Miocene in shallow North Pacific waters, where most king crab genera – including all Hapalogastrinae – are distributed and where they exhibit a high amount of morphological diversity. [4] [9]

In 2007, the king crabs were moved from their classification among the hermit crabs in the superfamily Paguroidea into a separate superfamily, Lithodoidea. [1] This was not without controversy, as there is widespread consensus in the scientific community that king crabs are derived from hermit crabs and closely related to pagurid hermit crabs; therefore, a separate superfamily in the classification poorly reflected the phylogenetic relationship of this taxon. [6] [10] In 2023, king crabs were folded back into Paguroidea, with Lithodoidea being considered superseded. [2] The king crab's relationship to other hermit crabs as well as the family's internal phylogeny can be seen in the following two cladograms: [4] [11]

Brachyura ("true" crabs) Charybdis japonica.jpg

Anomura

Porcellanidae (porcelain crabs) PeerJ - Allopetrolisthes punctatus.jpg

Munididae (squat lobsters) Munida (MNHN-IU-2011-4487).jpeg

Parapaguridae (deep water sea anemone hermit crabs) Strobopagurus sibogae.png

Eumunididae (squat lobster-like) Eumunida picta.jpg

Hippidae (mole crabs or sand crabs) Hippidae (MNHN-IU-2010-5238).jpeg

  Paguroidea  

Lithodidae (king crabs) Lithodes maja, raw.jpg

Paguridae (hermit crabs) FMIB 53094 Oagyrys splendescens.jpeg

Diogenidae (left-handed hermit crabs) Diogenidae (MNHN-IU-2014-8277).jpeg

Coenobitidae (terrestrial hermit crabs) Coenobita variabilis.jpg

Lithodidae cladogram
Lithodidae

Paralithodes brevipes Paralithodes brevipes.jpg

Paralithodes camtschaticus The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg

Phyllolithodes / Rhinolithodes

Acantholithodes hispidus Acantholithodes hispidus.jpg

Placetron wosnessenskii Placetron wosnessenskii.jpg

Cryptolithodes
Hapalogaster

Oedignathus inermis Oedignathus inermis.jpg

As of December 2023, there are 15 known genera of king crabs across two subfamilies. [12] [2] [13] These include: [12]

Hapalogastrinae

Lithodinae

Appearance

King crabs often feature prominent spines, which shrink as they mature. Neolithodes agassizii eating.jpg
King crabs often feature prominent spines, which shrink as they mature.

King crabs are distinctive among hermit crabs for their highly crab-like appearance. [5] They are a morphologically diverse group, [4] but they all have in common the functionalities of their five pairs of legs, called pereopods: [c] the first and anteriormost set are chelipeds whose right side is generally noticeably more robust than the left; the second, third, and fourth are walking legs tipped with sharp dactyli; and the fifth, used for cleaning, are very small and generally sit inside the branchial chamber. [5] On their underside, they have a short abdomen – composed of calcified plates – which is asymmetrical in females. [5] This abdomen (sometimes called a pleon) [4] is folded against the underside of the cephalothorax and is composed of six segments – called somites or pleonites – and a telson. [5] [2] [d] In Hapalogastrinae, this abdomen is soft, while it is hard and calcified in members of Lithodinae. [4] Lithodids lack any sort of uropod seen in some decapods. [5]

Distribution

King crabs are typically found in deep waters, especially in polar and subpolar regions and near hydrothermal vents and cold seeps. [2] Members of Lithodinae can be found in all five of the world's oceans, namely the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic, [2] [15] [16] while members of Hapalogastrinae are only found in the North Pacific. [3] Members of Hapalogastrinae exhibit a tolerance for higher temperatures than Lithodinae; whereas Lithodinae tend to live exclusively in deep waters or – less commonly – high-latitude shallow waters, Hapalogastrinae are found only in shallow waters (<100 m (330 ft)). [3]

Fisheries

Red king crabs are widely fished in Alaska. The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg
Red king crabs are widely fished in Alaska.

Because of their large size, the taste of their meat, and their status as a delicacy, some species of king crabs are caught and sold as food. [17] [8] [7] Red ( Paralithodes camtschaticus ) and blue ( Paralithodes platypus ) king crabs are heavily targeted by commercial fisheries in Alaska and have been for several decades. However, populations have fluctuated in the past 25 years, and some areas are currently closed due to overfishing. [18] [19] [20] [21] Alaskan fisheries additionally target the golden king crab ( Lithodes aequispinus ). [22] In South America, both the southern king crab ( Lithodes santolla ) and several species of Paralomis are targeted by commercial fisheries, [17] [2] and as a result, the population of L. santolla has seen a dramatic decline. [8]

Symbionts and parasites

Juveniles of species of king crabs, including Neolithodes diomedeae , use a species ( Scotoplanes Sp. A) of sea cucumber (often known as "sea pigs") as hosts and can be found on top of and under Scotoplanes. The Scotoplanes reduce the risk of predation for the N. diomedeae, while the Scotoplanes are not harmed from being hosts, which supports the consensus that the two organisms have a commensal relationship. [23] Endosymbiotic microorganisms of the order Eccrinida have been found in Paralithodes camtschaticus and Lithodes maja , living in their hindgut between molts. [24]

Some species of king crab, including those of the genera Lithodes , Neolithodes , Paralithodes , and likely Echidnocerus , act as hosts to some parasitic species of careproctus fish. [25] The careproctus lays eggs in the gill chamber of the king crab which serves as a well-protected and aerated area for the eggs to reside until they hatch. [25] On occasion king crabs have been found to be host to the eggs of multiple species of careproctus simultaneously. [25] King crabs are additionally parasitized by rhizocephalan genus Briarosaccus, a type of barnacle. [26] The barnacle irreversibly sterilizes the crab, and over 50% of some king crab populations are affected. [26]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Known as Lopholithodes Brandt, 1848 until 2022 after the senior synonym Echidnocerus was rediscovered. [14]
  2. ↑ Often collectively referred to as "lithodids". [2]
  3. ↑ These legs are commonly labeled pereopod 1–5 starting from the anterior. [5]
  4. ↑ These segments are commonly labeled somite/pleonite 1–6 starting from the posterior. [5] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermit crab</span> Superfamily of crustaceans (Paguroidea)

Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an asymmetric abdomen concealed by a snug-fitting shell. Hermit crabs' soft (non-calcified) abdominal exoskeleton means they must occupy shelter produced by other organisms or risk being defenseless.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anomura</span> Infraorder of crustaceans

Anomura is a group of decapod crustaceans, including hermit crabs and others. Although the names of many anomurans include the word crab, all true crabs are in the sister group to the Anomura, the Brachyura.

<i>Lithodes santolla</i> Species of king crab

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.

<i>Paralomis</i> Genus of king crabs

Paralomis is a widely distributed, highly speciose, and morphologically diverse genus of king crabs in the subfamily Lithodinae.

<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>Lithodes</i> Genus of king crabs

Lithodes is a genus of king crabs. Today there are about 30 recognized species, but others formerly included in this genus have been moved to Neolithodes and Paralomis. They are found in oceans around the world, ranging from shallow to deep waters, but mostly at depths of 100–1,000 m (300–3,300 ft). They are restricted to relatively cold waters, meaning that they only occur at high depths at low latitudes, but some species also shallower at high latitudes. They are medium to large crabs, and some species are or were targeted by fisheries.

<i>Neolithodes</i> Genus of king crab

Neolithodes is a genus of king crabs in the subfamily Lithodinae. They are found in all major oceans, both in high and low latitudes. Although there are records from water as shallow as 70 m (230 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.

<i>Neolithodes grimaldii</i> Species of king crab

Neolithodes grimaldii, the porcupine crab, is a species of king crab in the family Lithodidae. This large red crab is found in cold deep waters in the North Atlantic and often caught as a bycatch in fisheries for Greenland turbot. As suggested by its common name, the carapace and legs are covered in long spines.

<i>Neolithodes flindersi</i> Species of king crab

Neolithodes flindersi is a species of king crab found in southeastern Australia. They have been found at depths of 887–1,333 metres (2,910–4,373 ft) but typically appear from 950–1,050 metres (3,120–3,440 ft). They most closely resemble Neolithodes brodiei and Neolithodes nipponensis.

<i>Neolithodes brodiei</i> Species of king crab

Neolithodes brodiei, also known as Brodie's king crab, is a species of king crab which is native to New Zealand and its adjacent waters. It lives at a depth of 500–1,240 metres (1,640–4,070 ft) but is typically found within a range of 950–1,150 metres (3,120–3,770 ft). It is the most widespread and common lithodid in New Zealand waters, and the New Zealand Department of Conservation has classified it as "Not Threatened" in 2013 and 2023.

Paralomis debodeorum is an extinct species of king crab which lived in New Zealand during the Middle–Late Miocene. It was discovered in the Greta Siltstone on Motunau Beach, North Canterbury, near the mouth of the Motunau River. It is a moderate-sized Paralomis and most closely resembles the extant Paralomis zealandica.

Neolithodes asperrimus is a species of king crab native to the coast of Africa. It has been found in South Africa and Mauritania at depths of 997–1,862 metres (3,271–6,109 ft), and Neolithodes aff. asperrimus has been found in Madagascar, Réunion, and the South Region of Brazil.

Neolithodes capensis is a species of king crab which is found in the Southern Ocean and the western Indian Ocean. It has been found to a depth of 660–3,200 metres (2,170–10,500 ft). They have been found near Cape Point and around the Crozet and Kerguelen Islands in the subantarctic, and they are widespread in the Bellingshausen Sea on the Antarctic continental slope.

<i>Neolithodes diomedeae</i> Species of king crab

Neolithodes diomedeae is a species of king crab which is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, and the Bellingshausen and Scotia Seas in the Southern Ocean. They occur from 200 to 2,454 m.

Neolithodes nipponensis is a species of king crab which is found in Japan and Taiwan. It has been found at depths from 200–1,752 metres (656–5,748 ft).

Neolithodes duhameli is a species of king crab which is found in the Crozet Islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean from a depth of 620–1,500 metres (2,030–4,920 ft).

<i>Lithodes aotearoa</i> Species of king crab

Lithodes aotearoa is a New Zealand species of king crab. It had formerly been confused with L. longispina and L. murrayi, but neither of those species are found in New Zealand. It is the second most widespread and common lithodid in New Zealand waters after Neolithodes brodiei, and the New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies it as "Not Threatened".

<i>Lithodes couesi</i> Species of king crab

Lithodes couesi, also known as the scarlet king crab, is a species of king crab. It is typically found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, but in 2019, it was found in the Burdwood Bank around the Scotia Arc at a depth of 605 m (1,985 ft).

<i>Paralomis granulosa</i> Species of king crab

Paralomis granulosa, also known as the false king crab, the Chilean snow crab, and centollón (Spanish), is a species of king crab. It lives around the southern tip of South America in Chile, Argentina, and the Falkland Islands. It is smaller than Lithodes santolla – a sympatric species of king crab – having a carapace length up to 115 mm (4.5 in), and weighing up to 1.5 kg (3.3 lb).

References

  1. 1 2 De Grave, Sammy; Pentcheff, N. Dean; Ahyong, Shane T.; et al. (2009). "A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . Suppl. 21: 1–109. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Poore, Gary C. B.; Ahyong, Shane T. (2023). "Anomura". Marine Decapod Crustacea: A Guide to Families and Genera of the World. CRC Press. pp. 311–317. ISBN   978-1-4863-1178-1.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Hall, Sally; Thatje, Sven (October 2009). "Global bottlenecks in the distribution of marine Crustacea: temperature constraints in the family Lithodidae" (PDF). Journal of Biogeography . 36 (11): 2125–2135. Bibcode:2009JBiog..36.2125H. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02153.x. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 May 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Noever, Christoph; Glenner, Henrik (2017-07-05). "The origin of king crabs: hermit crab ancestry under the magnifying glass" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 182 (2): 300–318. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx033. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-07-16 – via the University of Copenhagen.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ahyong, Shane T. (2010). The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: King Crabs of New Zealand, Australia, and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) (PDF). NIWA Biodiversity Memoirs. Vol. 123. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. pp. 5–15. ISBN   978-0478232851. LCCN   2010497356. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2020.
  6. 1 2 Keiler, Jonas; Richter, Stefan; Wirkner, Christian S. (2013-03-19). "Evolutionary morphology of the hemolymph vascular system in hermit and king crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomala)". Journal of Morphology . 274 (7): 759–778. doi:10.1002/jmor.20133. PMID   23508935. S2CID   24458262.
  7. 1 2 Dvoretsky, Alexander G.; Dvoretsky, Vladimir G. (November 2017). "Red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus) fisheries in Russian waters: historical review and present status". Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. 28 (2): 331–353. doi:10.1007/s11160-017-9510-1. ISSN   0960-3166.
  8. 1 2 3 Anger, Klaus; Lovrich, Gustavo A.; Thatje, Sven; Calcagno, Javier A. (August 2004). "Larval and early juvenile development of Lithodes santolla (Molina, 1782) (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae) reared at different temperatures in the laboratory". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology . 306 (2): 217–230. Bibcode:2004JEMBE.306..217A. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2004.01.010 – via ResearchGate.
  9. ↑ Karasawa, Hiroaki; Mizuno, Yoshiaki; Hachiya, Kiichiro; Ando, Yusuke (March 2017). "Reappraisal of anomuran and brachyuran decapods from the lower Miocene Morozaki Group, Japan, collected by the Tokai Fossil Society" (PDF). Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum (43): 47–69. ISSN   0385-0900 . Retrieved 5 December 2024– via the Mizunami Fossil Museum.
  10. ↑ Anker, Arthur; Paulay, Gustav (2013-10-22). "A remarkable new crab-like hermit crab (Decapoda: Paguridae) from French Polynesia, with comments on carcinization in the Anomura" (PDF). Zootaxa . 3722 (2): 283–300. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3722.2.9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-07-24.
  11. ↑ Wolfe, Joanna M.; Breinholt, Jesse W.; Crandall, Keith A.; Lemmon, Alan R.; Lemmon, Emily Moriarty; Timm, Laura E.; et al. (24 April 2019). "A phylogenomic framework, evolutionary timeline and genomic resources for comparative studies of decapod crustaceans". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 286 (1901). doi: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0079 . PMC   6501934 . PMID   31014217.
  12. 1 2 Ahyong, Shane T. (2023). "Lithodidae Samouelle, 1819". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  13. ↑ McLaughlin, Patsy A.; Komai, Tomoyuki; Lemaitre, Rafael; Rahayu, Dwi Listyo (2010-10-31). Low, Martyn E. Y.; Tan, S. H. (eds.). "Annotated checklist of anomuran decapod crustaceans of the world (exclusive of the Kiwaoidea and families Chirostylidae and Galatheidae of the Galatheoidea) Part I – Lithodoidea, Lomisoidea and Paguroidea" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . Suppl. 23: 5–107. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-17 – via the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
  14. ↑ de Grave, Sammy; Ahyong, Shane T. (2022). "Echidnocerus White, 1842, an overlooked senior synonym of Lopholithodes Brandt, 1848 (Decapoda, Lithodidae)". Crustaceana . 95 (7): 861–865. doi:10.1163/15685403-bja10223. S2CID   252517428.
  15. ↑ Hall, Sally; Thatje, Sven (February 2018). "Evolution through cold and deep waters: the molecular phylogeny of the Lithodidae (Crustacea: Decapoda)". The Science of Nature . 105: 19. doi: 10.1007/s00114-018-1544-2 . PMC   5829116 . PMID   29488024.
  16. ↑ Dvoretsky, Alexander G.; Dvoretsky, Vladimir G. (September 2013). "Population dynamics of the invasive lithodid crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, in a typical bay of the Barents Sea". ICES Journal of Marine Science . 70 (6): 1255–1262. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fst037 .
  17. 1 2 Cocito, Laura L.; Permigiani, Sabrina; Tapella, Federico; Tomac, Alejandra; Czerner, Marina; Romero, M. Carolina (30 August 2024). "Shelf-life of cooked meat of southern king crab (Lithodes santolla) and false king crab (Paralomis granulosa) during refrigerated storage". Heliyon . 10 (16): e36475. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36475 . PMC   11388567 . PMID   39262967.
  18. ↑ Jensen, Gregory C.; Armstrong, David A. (1989). "Biennial reproductive cycle of blue king crab, Paralithodes platypus, at the Pribilof Island, Alaska and comparison to a congener, P. camtschatica". Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences . 46 (6): 932–940. doi:10.1139/f89-120. ISSN   0706-652X – via ResearchGate.
  19. ↑ Klitin, A.K.; Nizyaev, S.A. (1999). "The distribution and life strategies of some commercially important Far Eastern lithodid crabs in the Kuril Islands". Biologiya Morya . 25 (3). Vladivostok: 221–228. ISSN   1063-0740.
  20. ↑ Stevens, Bradley G. (October 2006). "Timing and duration of larval hatching for blue king crab Paralithodes platypus Brandt, 1850 held in the laboratory". Journal of Crustacean Biology . 26 (4): 495–502. doi: 10.1651/S-2677.1 . JSTOR   4094179.
  21. ↑ Essential fish habitat assessment report for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs (PDF) (Report). NOAA Fisheries Report. Vol. II. North Pacific Fishery Research Council. April 2005. Appendix F.3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-05-28. Retrieved 2009-12-06.
  22. ↑ Olson, A.P.; Siddon, C.E.; Eckert, G.L. (March 2018). "Spatial variability in size at maturity of golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus) and implications for fisheries management". Royal Society Open Science . 5 (3): 171802. Bibcode:2018RSOS....571802O. doi: 10.1098/rsos.171802 . PMC   5882709 . PMID   29657785.
  23. ↑ Barry, James P.; Taylor, Josi R.; Kuhnz, Linda A.; DeVogelaere, Andrew P. (2016-10-15). "Symbiosis between the holothurian Scotoplanes sp. A and the lithodid crab Neolithodes diomedeae on a featureless bathyal sediment plain". Marine Ecology. 38 (2): e12396. doi:10.1111/maec.12396. eISSN   1439-0485.
  24. ↑ Pavlova, L.V. (2018). "First Finding of Representatives of the Eccrinida Order in the Digestive Tract of King Crab Specie from the Barents Sea". Doklady Biological Sciences. 483 (1): 231–234. doi:10.1134/S0012496618060066. ISSN   0012-4966. PMID   30603945.
  25. 1 2 3 Gardner, Jennifer; Orr, James; Stevenson, Duane; Spies, Ingrid; Somerton, David (August 15, 2016). "Reproductive Parasitism between Distant Phyla: Molecular Identification of Snailfish (Liparidae) Egg Masses in the Gill Cavities of King Crabs (Lithodidae)". Copeia. 104 (3): 645–657. doi:10.1643/CI-15-374. S2CID   89241686 . Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  26. 1 2 Noever, Christoph (27 January 2017). Coevolution between king crabs (Paguridae: Lithodinae) and parasitic barnacles (Cirripedia: Rhizocephala) (Doctoral thesis). University of Bergen . Retrieved 15 October 2024.

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