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King crab

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King crabs
Temporal range: Miocene–Recent
Paralithodes californiensis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
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

Lithodinae Samouelle, 1819

King crabs often feature prominent spines.

King crabs are decapod crustaceans in the family Lithodidae that are chiefly found in deep waters.[2] King crabs are not true crabs and are generally thought to be derived from hermit crab ancestors within the Paguridae, which may explain the asymmetry still found in the adult forms.[3] This ancestry is supported by several anatomical peculiarities which are present only in king crabs and hermit crabs.[4] Although some doubt still exists about this hypothesis, king crabs are the most widely quoted example of carcinisation among the Decapoda.[4] 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][5][6]

Taxonomic controversy

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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of this taxon.[4][7] In 2023, king crabs were folded back into Paguroidea, with Lithodoidea being considered superseded.[2]

Species

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As of December 2023, there are 15 known genera of king crabs.[8][2][9] These are split across its two subfamilies – Hapalogastrinae and Lithodinae – and include:

Hapalogastrinae

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Lithodinae

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Distribution

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King crabs are typically found in deep waters, especially in polar and subpolar regions and near hydrothermal vents and cold seeps.[2] They can be found in all five of the world's oceans, namely the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic.[2][11][12]

Fisheries

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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.[13][6][5] 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.[14][15][16][17] Alaskan fisheries additionally target the golden king crab (Lithodes aequispinus).[18] In South America, both the southern king crab (Lithodes santolla) and several species of Paralomis are targeted by commercial fisheries,[13][2] and as a result, the population of L. santolla has seen a dramatic decline.[6]

Symbionts and parasites

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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.[19] Endosymbiotic microorganisms of the order Eccrinida have been found in Paralithodes camtschaticus and Lithodes maja, living in their hindgut between molts.[20]

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.[21] 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. On occasion king crabs have been found to be host to the eggs of multiple species of careproctus simultaneously.[citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c d e f g Poore, Gary C. B.; Ahyong, Shane T. (2023). Marine Decapod Crustacea: A Guide to Families and Genera of the World. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4863-1178-1.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b c 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.
  5. ^ a b 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.
  6. ^ a b c 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ Ahyong, Shane T. (2023). "Lithodidae Samouelle, 1819". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ a b 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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.
  19. ^ 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.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
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