Pinnotherid
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.
Pinnixa
pea crabs
Pinnixa is a genus of small symbiotic crabs in the family Pinnotheridae, commonly known as pea crabs. Species in this genus are obligate or facultative symbionts of various marine invertebrates including bivalve mollusks, tube worms, ghost shrimp, and holothurians. The genus is characterized by a reduced rostrum, absence of teeth between the eyes, and a compact carapace adapted for living within host structures. Multiple species have been documented across the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the Americas and Asia.
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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