Pea crab
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| Pea crab | ||||||||||||||||
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 Pinnotheres pisum ♂
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The pea crab is a small crab that lives symbiotically in oysters, clams, mussels and other species of bivalves. The crab is usually about the size of a pea but can grow as large as a small walnut. It is also commonly known as the oyster crab. Females have a large tail flap that is used to cover eggs attached to the bodies when they are breeding, adding to the spherical appearance.
Although researchers once thought that pea crabs were not harmful to their hosts, they have since found that their activities do cause some damage to the delicate gills of bivalves; and as such, these crabs are now considered parasites.
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This article is uncategorized. Please categorize this article to list it with similar articles. (June 2008) |
