Pea-crab
Guides
Dissodactylus
pea crab
Dissodactylus is a genus of pea crabs in the family Pinnotheridae, comprising at least 20 described species. Species in this genus are obligate ectosymbionts of echinoid hosts, primarily sand dollars. The genus shows geographic variation in larval development: Pacific species have four zoeal stages, while Atlantic species have three. Several species have been studied for their host-finding behaviors, which rely on chemical cues to locate specific echinoid hosts.
Dissodactylus mellitae
Sand Dollar Pea Crab, sand-dollar pea crab
Dissodactylus mellitae is a small pea crab in the family Pinnotheridae that lives as an obligate symbiont on sand dollars. It inhabits the western Atlantic Ocean and has been documented specifically on the host Mellita quinquiesperforata. The species exhibits a close association with its echinoderm host, living on the aboral surface.
Pinnixa chaetopterana
tube pea crab
Pinnixa chaetopterana is a small, soft-bodied pea crab that lives symbiotically within the tubes of polychaete worms, primarily Chaetopterus variopedatus. It is a facultative commensal, occasionally free-living or associating with alternative hosts such as Amphitrite ornata. The species exhibits strong host fidelity and can distinguish conspecifics from heterospecifics. It ranges from Massachusetts to Uruguay along the western Atlantic, including Brazil and the Gulf of Mexico.
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