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Channel Clinging Crab
Mithrax spinosissimus
(Lamarck, 1818)
St. Eustatius, 2015 (source: Marion Haarsma)
Code
Summary
Saltwater. Spider Crabs. The largest spider crab in the region.
To be confused with
- Hairy clinging crab, Mithrax pilosus.
Characteristics
Size: Carapace up to 18 cm wide. When outstretched, the claws can span up to 60 cm.
Colour: The carapace and walking legs is reddish-brown, the claws are purplish-gray.
Shape: The nearly circular carapace, legs and claws all bear spines and tubercles, those on the claws form a single row along the upper edge of the hand.
Habitat environment and ecology
Inhabit coral reefs. It lives in and around rocks and rubble in shallow waters. Nocturnal. Depth: ranges from 3 m down to 40 m.
Distribution range
BES-eilanden: St. Eustatius.
Author
[Marion Haarsma, march 2016]
Literature
- Humann, P., & DeLoach, N. (2002). Reef Creature Identification:
Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas (p. 420). Jacksonville (FL): New World
Publications.
Commentaar
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