Achaeus japonicus explained

Achaeus japonicus, sometimes known as the orang-utan crab,^{[1] [2]} is a crab of the family Inachidae (spider crabs or decorator crabs) which can be observed in tropical waters of the central Indo-Pacific.^[3]

With a carapace of only about 2cm (01inches) 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.^{[4] [5]}

Humann and DeLoach^[5] 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."

External links

• • http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=441846

Notes and References

1. Book: T. Gosliner, D. Behrens & G. Williams . 1996 . Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific . 231.
2. Web site: Marine Species Identification Portal . Orang-utang crab (Achaeus japonicus) . February 19, 2012 . Crabs of Japan.
3. Web site: Achaeus japonicus에 대한 사실 - 생명의 백과사전 . 2013-08-27 . 2014-04-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140426234914/http://eol.org/pages/2942052/details#distribution . dead .
4. Web site: World Database of Marine Species . Orang-utan crab . February 19, 2012 . Matteo Guardini & Massimo Boyer . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20111119085755/http://www.seadb.net/en_Orang-utan-crab-Achaeus-japonicus_54.htm . November 19, 2011 .
5. Book: Paul Humann & Ned DeLoach . 2010 . Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific . 223.