Panopeidae

Panopeidae
Dyspanopeus sayi
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Brachyura
Superfamily: Xanthoidea
Family: Panopeidae
Ortmann, 1893 [1]
Synonyms [2]

Eucratopsidae Stimpson, 1871 (nom. rej.)

Lophopanopeus bellus, Black-clawed crab, San Luis Obispo County, California

Panopeidae is a family containing 25 genera of morphologically similar crabs, often known as "mud crabs". Their centers of diversity are the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Distribution

Most members of the family Panopeidae live in the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean. Only one species occurs in Australian waters – Homoioplax haswelli.[2]

Ecology

The various genera of Panopeidae are morphologically similar, partly as a result of many instances of convergent evolution to similar habitats and food preferences.[3]

Crabs of the family Panopeidae are all free-living (not commensal or parasitic),[2] and typically live in soft-bottomed parts of the ocean,[3] lending them the common name "mud crabs" (a name also shared by other organisms). They burrow into the sediment and feed on a variety of marine invertebrates.[3]

Genera

The World Register of Marine Species lists the following subfamilies and genera:[1]

Eucratopsinae Stimpson, 1871

  • Chasmophora Rathbun, 1914
  • Cycloplax Guinot, 1969
  • Cyrtoplax Rathbun, 1914
  • Eucratopsis Smith, 1869
  • Glyptoplax Smith, 1870
  • Homoioplax Rathbun, 1914
  • Malacoplax Guinot, 1969
  • Odontoplax Garth, 1986
  • Panoplax Stimpson, 1871
  • Prionoplax H. Milne-Edwards, 1852
  • Robertsella Guinot, 1969
  • Tetraplax Rathbun, 1901
  • Thalassoplax Guinot, 1969

Panopeinae Ortmann, 1893

  • Acantholobulus Felder & Martin, 2003
  • Dyspanopeus Martin & Abele, 1986
  • Eurypanopeus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880
  • Eurytium Stimpson, 1859
  • Hexapanopeus Rathbun, 1898
  • Lophopanopeus Rathbun, 1898
  • Lophoxanthus A. Milne-Edwards, 1879
  • Metopocarcinus Stimpson, 1860
  • Neopanope A. Milne-Edwards, 1880
  • Panopeus H. Milne-Edwards, 1834
  • Rhithropanopeus Rathbun, 1898
  • Tetraxanthus Rathbun, 1898

References

  1. 1 2 Davie, P. (2015). "Panopeidae Ortmann, 1893". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
  2. 1 2 3 P. J. F. Davie (2002). "Panopeidae". Crustacea: Malocostraca: Eucarida (Part 2), Decapoda: Anomura, Brachyura. Zoological Catalogue of Australia 19. Canberra, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 372–374. ISBN 978-0-643-06792-9.
  3. 1 2 3 C. D. Schubart, J. E. Neigel & D. L. Felder (2000). "Molecular phylogeny of mud crabs (Brachyura: Panopeidae) from the northwestern Atlantic and the role of morphological statis and convergence" (PDF). Marine Biology 137 (1): 11–18. doi:10.1007/s002270000325.
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