True-crab
Guides
Persephona mediterranea
Mottled Purse Crab
Persephona mediterranea, commonly known as the mottled purse crab, is a true crab species in the family Leucosiidae. Despite its specific epithet 'mediterranea', it is found in the western Atlantic Ocean rather than the Mediterranean Sea. The species was first described by Herbst in 1794 under the basionym Cancer mediterraneus. It belongs to a family known for rounded or purse-like carapaces.
Petrolisthes armatus
Green Porcelain Crab
Petrolisthes armatus, commonly known as the green porcelain crab, is a small porcellanid crab native to the southwestern Atlantic, particularly Brazil. The species has established invasive populations along the southeastern United States coast, where densities can exceed 30,000 individuals per square meter. Genetic studies confirm it as a single monophyletic species with exceptional geographic range spanning the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. It is frequently parasitized by the bopyrid isopod Aporobopyrus curtatus, which causes parasitic castration.
invasive-speciesfilter-feederparasite-hostintertidalporcelain-craboyster-reefsymbiosisplanktonic-larvaevisual-ecologycrustaceandecapodanomuraporcellanidaesouthwestern-atlanticeastern-pacificsoutheastern-united-statesbopyrid-parasiteAporobopyrus-curtatusestuarinemangrovesponge-symbiosisgaze-stabilizationachromatic-visionlarval-transportoyster-bedballast-wateraquaculturemonophyleticcryptic-species-complexparasitic-castrationzoeamegalopapleopodspermatophorechellipedcarapacegranulatedolive-greenblue-colorationFarol-IslandBrazilGeorgiaSouth-CarolinaFloridaPanamaCosta-RicaEcuadorPeruBaja-CaliforniaCaribbeanGulf-of-MexicoWest-IndiesAscension-IslandBermudaBahamasWest-Africarock-rubblesoft-sedimentshallow-subtidallower-intertidaldensity-30000-per-square-meter6-8-mm0.5-gorange-spotfour-segmented-chelipedantennae-outside-eyesvestigial-fourth-leg-pairfeathery-mouthpartszooplanktonscavengerpheromone-settlement-cue3-mm-sexual-maturity17%-parasite-prevalencebranchial-chamber-parasitesynchronous-growth-parasite-hostcastrationvisual-noisecaustic-flickerpolarization-sensitivityoptomotor-assaytidal-creekspectrally-narrow-environmentmitochondrial-DNAgenetic-variabilityexceptional-rangepre-Canal-Panama18591930s-Floridalineagewarm-temperate-Atlanticspecies-complexhalf-crabsquat-lobster-relativetrue-crabfalse-crabDecapodaMalacostracaArthropodaCrustaceaGibbes-1850Porcellana-armatagreen-porcelain-crabPetrolisthes-armatusPilumnus sayi
Spineback Hairy Crab
Pilumnus sayi is a species of true crab in the family Pilumnidae, described by Mary J. Rathbun in 1897. It is commonly known as the Spineback Hairy Crab. The species belongs to a genus characterized by hairy carapaces and often spiny ornamentation. As with many pilumnid crabs, detailed biological and ecological information remains limited in published literature.
Taliepus nuttallii
southern kelp crab, globose kelp crab
Taliepus nuttallii, commonly known as the southern kelp crab or globose kelp crab, is a true crab species in the family Epialtidae. It inhabits kelp forest ecosystems along the East Pacific coastline. The species was originally described as Epialtus nuttallii by Randall in 1840 before being transferred to the genus Taliepus. As a member of the kelp crab group, it is adapted to life among macroalgae, though specific ecological details remain limited in available sources.