King crabs are a taxon of crab-like decapod crustaceans chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food, the most common being the red king crab.
Pinnotheres is a genus of crabs, including the pea crab. Many species formerly in Pinnotheres have been placed in new genera, such as Zaops ostreus, the oyster crab and Nepinnotheres novaezelandiae, the New Zealand pea crab. The species currently recognised in the genus Pinnotheres are:
Portunidae is a family of crabs which contains the swimming crabs.
Majidae is a family of crabs, comprising around 200 marine species inside 52 genera, with a carapace that is longer than it is broad, and which forms a point at the front. The legs can be very long in some species, leading to the name "spider crab". The exoskeleton is covered with bristles to which the crab attaches algae and other items to act as camouflage.
Macrophthalmus is a genus of crabs which are widespread across the Indo-Pacific. It contains the following species :
Charybdis is a genus of swimming crabs in the family Portunidae; "Charybdis" is Greek for whirlpool.
Notomithrax is a genus of crabs of the family Majidae, containing four species:
Paralomis is a genus of king crabs. It includes the following species:
Etisus is a genus of crabs, containing the following extant species:
Inachidae is a family of crabs, containing 39 genera:
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.
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 large 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.
Hemigrapsus is a genus of varunid crabs comprising thirteen species native almost exclusively in the Pacific Ocean, but two have been introduced to the North Atlantic region.
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.
Pilumnus is a genus of crabs, containing the following species:
Cyclograpsus is a genus of crabs, containing the following species:
Platymaia is a genus of crab in the family Inachidae, containing the following species:
Paralomis zealandica, also known as the prickly king crab, is a species of king crab which lives at a depth of 254–1,212 m (833–3,976 ft) in New Zealand. It has spiky carapace. The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1971 by Dawson & Yaldwyn. P. zealandica can be distinguished from other species in New Zealand waters by its thick covering of strong upright spines all over, including on its abdomen and along its legs and claws. The rostrum has three short, strong and sharp spines. It is the most prominent species of Paralomis in New Zealand.
Leptomithrax is a genus of crabs in the family Majidae. They have been on Earth for 37.2 million years.
Neolithodes yaldwyni is a species of king crab which is found in the Ross Sea from depths of 124–1,950 metres (407–6,398 ft). It had previously been misidentified as Neolithodes brodiei, and it closely resembles Neolithodes capensis.
