Corystes cassivelaunus
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 A female C. cassivelaunus
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| Corystes cassivelaunus Pennant, 1775 |
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Cancer cassivelaunus Pennant, 1777 |
Corystes cassivelaunus, the masked crab, helmet crab or sand crab [1], is a burrowing crab of the North Atlantic and North Sea from Portugal to Norway, which also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea [2]. It may grow up to 4 cm long (carapace length) [3]. The name "masked crab" derives from the patterns on the carapace which resemble a human face, in a similar manner to heikegani [4].
C. cassivelaunus lives buried in sandy substrates, where it feeds on the infaunal invertebrates such as polychaete worms and bivalve molluscs [3]. It uses its two antennae to form a breathing tube that allows oxygenated water down into the substrate [5][6]. The chelipeds of males are much longer than the body, while those of females are only about as long as the carapace [7].
[edit] References
- ^ Masked crab (Corystes cassivelaunus). ARKive.org. Retrieved on 14 November 2006.
- ^ Crabs of the Southern North Sea. Department Zeevisserij (Sea Fisheries Department) (2001-10-08).
- ^ a b
- ^ Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913). masked crab.
- ^ Masked crab (or helmet crab). Waddenzee.nl (2005-09-15).
- ^ Masked crab, Corystes cassivelaunus. Sefton Coast.
- ^ De Kluijver, M. J. & S. S. Ingalsuo. Macrobenthos of the North Sea: Corystes cassivelaunus.
