Cryptochiridae
| Cryptochiridae | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Superfamily: | Cryptochiroidea Paulson, 1875 |
| Family: | Cryptochiridae Paulson, 1875 |
| Genera | |
|
20, See text | |
Cryptochiridae is a family of crabs known commonly as gall crabs or coral gall crabs. They live inside cavities in corals and cause the formation of galls in the coral structure.[1][2] The family is placed in its own superfamily, Cryptochiroidea.
Gall crabs are sexually dimorphic, with males much smaller than females. Males often move into galls occupied by females in order to mate.[1]
These crabs can be found in shallow and deep waters in association with corals. They feed on mucus secreted by the coral galls, as well as various detritus.[1]
Because crab size is related to gall size, it is likely that the crabs form the galls and change their size, rather than living randomly in a gall forming within a coral. Related groups of gall crab taxa share a similar gall type, suggesting that the crabs influence the morphology of the galls.[3]
The family contains the following twenty genera:[4][5]
- Cryptochirus Heller, 1861
- Hapalocarcinus Stimpson, 1859
- Neotroglocarcinus Fize & Serene, 1957
- Opecarcinus Kropp & Manning, 1987
- Pelycomaia Kropp, 1990
- Pseudocryptochirus Hiro, 1938
- Pseudohapalocarcinus Fize & Serène, 1956
- Troglocarcinus Verrill, 1908
- Utinomiella Kropp & Takeda, 1988
- Cecidocarcinus Kropp & Manning, 1987
- Dacryomaia Kropp, 1990
- Detocarcinus Kropp & Manning, 1987
- Fizesereneia Takeda & Tamura, 1980
- Fungicola Serene, 1966
- Hiroia Takeda & Tamura, 1981
- Lithoscaptus A. Milne-Edwards, 1862
- Luciades Kropp & Manning, 1996
- Sphenomaia Kropp, 1990
- Xynomaia Kropp, 1990
- Zibrovia Kropp & Manning, 1996
References
- 1 2 3 Johnsson, R., et al. (2006). The association of two gall crabs (Brachyura: Cryptochiridae) with the reef-building coral Siderastrea stellata Verrill, 1868. Hydrobiologia 559(1), 379-84.
- ↑ Kropp, R. K. (1990). Revision of the genera of gall crabs (Crustacea: Cryptochiridae) occurring in the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Science 44(4) 417-48.
- ↑ Wei, T. P., et al. (2013). Gall polymorphism of coral-inhabiting crabs (Decapoda, Cryptochiridae): a new perspective. Journal of Marine Science and Technology 21, 304-07.
- ↑ "Cryptochiridae Paulson, 1875". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ↑ P. K. L. Ng, D. Guinot & P. J. F. Davie (2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 17: 1–286.
