Paralomis zealandica explained
Paralomis zealandica, also known as the prickly king crab,[1] is a species of king crab which lives at a depth between in New Zealand. It has a spiky carapace.
It is the most widespread species of Paralomis in New Zealand.[2]
Taxonomy
The scientific name of the species was first validly published in 1971 by Dawson and Yaldwyn.[3] Latin: Paralomis was named for the genus's similarity to the hairy stone crab, a monotypical species within the genus Latin: Lomis.[4] Latin: Zealandica is named for the general location, New Zealand.
Description
P. zealandica can be distinguished from other species in New Zealand waters by its thick covering of strong upright spines all over, including on its abdomen and along its legs and claws. The rostrum has three short, strong and sharp spines.
Distribution and habitat
Latin: P. zealandica lives in the waters around southern New Zealand, at a range from 550–650m. It extends from the Chatham Rise south to the Bounty and Campbell Plateaus.
See also
Notes and References
- Web site: Critter of the Week: The prickly king crab. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20200111060113/https://niwa.co.nz/blogs/critteroftheweek/204. 11 January 2020.
- Book: Ahyong, Shane T.. Shane T. Ahyong. The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: King Crabs of New Zealand, Australia, and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae). National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. 2010. 978-0478232851. NIWA Diversity Memoirs. 123. 175–184. 2010497356. https://web.archive.org/web/20200215075140/https://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/Memoir%20123_The%20Marine%20Fauna%20of%20New%20Zealand_King%20Crabs.pdf. 15 February 2020. live.
- Dawson . E . Yaldwyn . J . 1971 . Diagnosis of a new species of Paralomis (Crustacea, Anomura, Lithodidae) from New Zealand . Records of the Dominion Museum . 7 . 7 . 51-54.
- White . A . 1856 . Some remarks on Crustacea of the genus Lithodes, with a brief description of a species apparently hitherto unrecorded . Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London . 132-135.
