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| ==Description== | ==Description== | ||
| Occurring in the intertidal zone to a depth of 50 m, this species has a ] of about 15 cm, indistinctly rugose on the anterior half, with wavy lines edging the posterior. It is active during the night hours, and is able, when threatened, to swiftly burrow beneath the sand. It feeds mainly on mollusks such as clams, steadying them with its legs and then, using its pincers, either prising the valves apart or breaking them. | Occurring in the intertidal zone to a depth of 50 m, this species has a ] of about 15 cm, indistinctly rugose on the anterior half, with wavy lines edging the posterior. It is active during the night hours, and is able, when threatened, to swiftly burrow beneath the sand. It feeds mainly on mollusks such as clams, steadying them with its legs and then, using its pincers, either prising the valves apart or breaking them. | ||
| ''Calappa'' species have evolved claws shaped to deal with common ] - they have essentially become right-handed. One of the claws is enlarged and functions with a scissor-like motion that allows a peeling open of the snail. <ref>http://www.mapoflife.org/topics/topic_380_Crabs-insights-into-convergence/</ref> | |||
| ==Distribution== | ==Distribution== | ||
Revision as of 17:45, 4 August 2014
| Calappa calappa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Calappidae |
| Genus: | Calappa |
| Species: | C. calappa |
| Binomial name | |
| Calappa calappa (Linnaeus, 1758) | |
Calappa calappa, also known as the smooth or red-spotted box crab, is a tropical marine species of crab with an Indo-Pacific distribution, and showing great variability in its patterning and colouration. First described as Cancer calappa by Linnaeus in 1758 from a specimen originating from Ambon Island, and later in 1781 as Cancer fornicatus by Fabricius, it was finally placed in the genus Calappa by Lancelot Alexander Borradaile in 1903. The name calappa is associated with kelapa, the Malay word for 'coconut'.
Description
Occurring in the intertidal zone to a depth of 50 m, this species has a carapace of about 15 cm, indistinctly rugose on the anterior half, with wavy lines edging the posterior. It is active during the night hours, and is able, when threatened, to swiftly burrow beneath the sand. It feeds mainly on mollusks such as clams, steadying them with its legs and then, using its pincers, either prising the valves apart or breaking them.
Calappa species have evolved claws shaped to deal with common dextral snails - they have essentially become right-handed. One of the claws is enlarged and functions with a scissor-like motion that allows a peeling open of the snail.
Distribution
This species can be found in Mombasa, Seychelles, Aldabra Island, Madagascar, Mauritius, Andamans, Japan, Taiwan, Borocay, Palau, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Shark Bay, Abrolhos Islands, New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands, Marquesas, Society Islands.
Gallery
References
- Peter Davie (2013). "Calappa calappa (Linnaeus, 1758)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- National Institute of Oceanography
- Galil, Bella S. (1997). "Crustacea Decapoda: A revision of the Indo-Pacific species of the genus Calappa Weber, 1795 (Calappidae)" (PDF). Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle. 176: 273.
{{cite journal}}: line feed character in|title=at position 96 (help) - http://www.mapoflife.org/topics/topic_380_Crabs-insights-into-convergence/
- Marine Species Identification Portal
External links
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