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. Davie, P. (2015). "Panopeidae Ortmann, 1893". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
2. 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. 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.