Achaeus japonicus

Achaeus japonicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Inachidae
Genus: Achaeus
Species: A. japonicus
Binomial name
Achaeus japonicus
(De Haan, 1839)
Synonyms [1]

Inachus japonicus De Haan, 1839

Achaeus japonicus, sometimes known as the orang-utan crab,[2][3] is a crab of the family Inachidae (spider crabs or decorator crabs) which can be observed in tropical waters of the central Indo-Pacific.[4]

With a carapace of only about 2 centimetres or 0.8 inches in diameter, it has relatively long arms, which are thickly covered with fine hairs, red or reddish brown in colour, and often laden with small bits of debris for further camouflage. It is frequently, but not always, found in association with the bubble coral Plerogyra sinuosa.[5][6]

Humann and DeLoach[6] classify the orang-utan crab as "Oncinopus sp. 1" and assert it was "formerly classified" as Achaeus japonicus, though they describe their own genus identification as "tentative."

References

  1. ↑ Peter Davie (2010). "Achaeus japonicus". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  2. ↑ T. Gosliner, D. Behrens & G. Williams (1996). Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific. p. 231.
  3. ↑ "Orang-utang crab (Achaeus japonicus)". Crabs of Japan. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  4. ↑ http://eol.org/pages/2942052/details#distribution
  5. ↑ Matteo Guardini & Massimo Boyer. "Orang-utan crab". World Database of Marine Species. Retrieved February 19, 2012.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Paul Humann & Ned DeLoach (2010). Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific. p. 223.

External links