Pilumnus hirtellus

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Pilumnus hirtellus
Pilumnus hirtellus.jpg
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Pilumnidae
Genus: Pilumnus
Species:
P. hirtellus
Binomial name
Pilumnus hirtellus
(Linnaeus, 1761)[1]
Synonyms[2]

Cancer hirtellus Linnaeus, 1761

Pilumnus hirtellus, the bristly crab[3] or hairy crab,[4] is a species of European crab. It is less than 1 inch (25 mm) long and covered in hair. It lives in shallow water and feeds on carrion.

Description[]

Pilumnus hirtellus is a small crab, with a carapace up to 28 millimetres (1.1 in) wide and 20 millimetres (0.79 in) long.[5] The carapace and legs are reddish brown or purple, with the inner surfaces of the legs orange or paler.[6] Both the carapace and the walking legs have a dense covering of setae. The first pair of legs bear large chelae (claws), of which one, usually the right claw, is larger than the other,[3] and the fingers of both claws are brown.[5] The claws are smaller and less hairy in females.[6] Young crabs are less than 5 millimetres (0.20 in) in size, and are chalky white all over.[5] The front edge of the carapace has five teeth on either side, with the first two being smaller than the others.[6]

Distribution[]

Pilumnus hirtellus is found from the North Sea to Morocco, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands and the Cape Verde Islands, as well as in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.[7] It is limited by the occurrence of hard frosts, violent storms and pollution.[5]

Relatives[]

Pilumnus hirtellus is closely related to , and intermediates have been reported, although in other locations, the two species have been observed living in sympatry without any intermediates being observed.[7]

Ecology[]

Pilumnus hirtellus lives at depths of up to 80 metres (260 ft),[3] preferring areas shallower than 10 metres (33 ft).[5] It can be found on various substrates, including muddy, sandy and rocky bottoms, under stones and even among the holdfasts of seaweeds.[3] In the Black Sea, this species prefers stony areas with abundant algae and mussels.[5] The diet consists mainly of carrion.[5]

Life cycle[]

Between April and August,[6] females may carry up to 4000 eggs.[5][8] These are released between May and September,[6] as planktonic zoea larvae, which develop into megalopa larvae before maturing into the adult form.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Pilumnus hirtellus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. ^ Peter K. L. Ng; Danièle Guinot & Peter 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.
  3. ^ a b c d Marie Skewes (2008). "Bristly crab - Pilumnus hirtellus". Marine Life Information Network. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
  4. ^ "Hairy Crab, Pilumnus hirtellus". British Marine Life Study Society. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i C. Dumitrache. "Pilumnus hirtellus Linnaeus, 1758". Black Sea Environmental Internet Node. Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  6. ^ a b c d e M. J. de Kluijver & S. S. Ingalsuo. "Pilumnus hirtellus". Macrobenthos of the North Sea: Crustacea. Universiteit van Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08.
  7. ^ a b "Red hairy crab (Pilumnus spinifer) • Bristly crab (Pilumnus hirtellus)" (PDF). Främmande Arter i Svenska Hav (Alien species in Swedish Seas). January 12, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2010.
  8. ^ Salman D. Salman (1982). "Larval development of the crab Pilumnus hirtellus (L.) reared in the laboratory (Decapoda Brachyura, Xanthidae)". Crustaceana. 42 (2): 113–126. doi:10.1163/156854082x00795. JSTOR 20103704.
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