Zebrida Explained

Zebrida is a small genus of distinctive striped crabs, known as zebra crabs, that live in association with sea urchins in the Indo-Pacific.

Description

Zebrida was described by Arthur Adams as "a torpid, though elegant little crustacean".^[1] It is "the most unusual" of the genera in the subfamily Eumedoninae, with long spines projecting from the body, and a distinctive pattern of stripes across the exoskeleton.

Taxonomy and distribution

The genus was thought to be monotypic for a long time, but in 1999, Peter Ng & Diana Chia recognised two additional species, bringing the total number to three.^[2]

Zebrida adamsii is widespread in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia.
Zebrida brevicarinata is only known from Western Australia.
Zebrida longispina is only known from Western Australia.

Ecology and life cycle

Crabs of the genus Zebrida live, often in pairs, in association with sea urchins,^[3] including Toxopneustes pileolus, Toxopneustes elegans, Tripneustes gratilla, Diadema setosum, Asthenosoma ijimai, Salmacis bicolor, Salmacis virgulata, Heliocidaris crassispina, Pseudocentrotus depressus and a species of Acanthocidaris.^[2] ^[4]

Z. adamsii passes through four zoeal phases, and one megalopa phase before reaching the mature condition.^[5]

Notes and References

Book: Edward Belcher . Edward Belcher . 1848 . Arthur Adams . Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, during the years 1843–46: employed surveying the islands of the Eastern archipelago; accompanied by a brief vocabulary of the principal languages . . https://books.google.com/books?id=zjYNAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA497 . 2 . Loo-Choo–Korea–Japan.
Peter K. L. Ng . Diana G. B. Chia . amp . 1999 . Revision of the genus Zebrida White, 1847 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Eumedonidae) . . 65 . 2 . 481–495 .
Book: Gary C. B. Poore . Shane T. Ahyong . amp . 2004 . Marine Decapod Crustacea of Southern Australia: a Guide to Identification . . 978-0-643-06906-0 . Zebrida White, 1847 . 451 . https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZWnuGc0xlMC&pg=PA451.
Yasunobu Yanagisawa . Akira Hamaishi . amp . 1986 . Mate acquisition by a solitary crab Zebrida adamsii, a symbiont of the sea urchin . . 4 . 2 . 153–162 . 10.1007/BF02348117. 22908082 .
Atsushi Mori . Yasunobu Yanagisawa . Yasushi Fukuda . Peter K. L. Ng . amp . 1991 . Complete larval development of Zebrida adamsii White, 1847 (Decapoda: Brachyura), reared in the laboratory . . 11 . 2 . 292–304 . 1548366 . 10.2307/1548366.