Neolithodes is a genus of king crabs, in the family Lithodidae.[1] They are found in all major oceans, both in high and low latitudes. Although there are records from water as shallow as in cold regions, most records are much deeper, typically, with the deepest confirmed at .[2] [3] [4] [5] They are fairly large to large crabs that typically are reddish in color and spiny, although the size of these spines varies depending on species (from long in species like N. grimaldii to very short in species like N. flindersi, and tending to be more pronounced in small than in large individuals).[4] [6]
Various sessile organisms such as barnacles are sometimes attached to their carapace and legs,[3] [7] and small commensal amphipods may live in their carapace.[8] They are occasionally the victims of parasitic snailfish of the genus Careproctus, which lay their egg mass in the gill chamber of the crab, forming a mobile "home" until they hatch.[4] Conversely, some juvenile Neolithodes have a commensal relationship with Scotoplanes sea cucumbers. To protect itself from large predators, the young crab hides under the sea cucumber.[9]
The word Neolithodes derives from the Greek, meaning new, and Lithodes, a closely related genus of king crab. The name of the latter genus originates from the Latin Latin: lithodes, meaning stone like.[10]
The following 13 species are in this genus:
| Image | Scientific name | Common Name | Distribution | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neolithodes agassizii | Western Atlantic | |||
| Neolithodes asperrimus | South Africa, Mauritania | |||
| Neolithodes brodiei | New Zealand and adjacent waters | |||
| Neolithodes bronwynae | Rock crab | Bay of Plenty, Lord Howe Rise, possibly New Caledonia | ||
| Neolithodes capensis | Southern Ocean, Indian Ocean, Bellingshausen Sea | |||
| Neolithodes diomedeae | Eastern Pacific,Southwestern Atlantic, Southern Ocean | |||
| Neolithodes duhameli | Crozet Islands | |||
| Neolithodes flindersi | Southeastern Australia | |||
| Neolithodes grimaldii | Porcupine crab | North Atlantic | ||
| Neolithodes indicus | Arabian Sea | |||
| Neolithodes nipponensis | Japan and Taiwan | |||
| Neolithodes vinogradovi | Range from the Arabian Sea to the Coral Sea | |||
| Neolithodes yaldwyni | Ross Sea |