Calyptraeotheres garthi
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| Calyptraeotheres garthi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Pinnotheridae |
| Genus: | Calyptraeotheres |
| Species: | C. garthi |
| Binomial name | |
| Calyptraeotheres garthi (Fenucci, 1975) | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Pinnotheres garthi Fenucci, 1975 | |
Calyptraeotheres garthi is a species of pea crab in the family Pinnotheridae.[2] It is found in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and is a parasitic castrator of the slipper limpet Crepidula cachimilla.
When Jorge L. Fenucci originally encountered C. garthi, he first mistook it for the related C. politus (then placed in Pinnotheres).[1] A few years later, he described the species under Pinnotheres as P. garthi (not "Fabia garthi", as cited in WoRMS).[2][3]
When Ernesto Campos described his new genus Calyptraeotheres for a species then still placed in Fabia, he noted that both P. politus (i.e. C. politus) and P. garthi were also likely to belong to his new genus.[4] He effected the transfer of these species in 1999.[1]
Description
The female Calyptraeotheres garthi exhibits certain adaptations that are probably associated with its parasitic way of life. The invasive stage has a compact body shape, a hard carapace and large setae (bristles) on its swimming legs. At its next moult it loses these traits and becomes soft bodied with a rounded carapace and slender legs and claws. After several more moults it regains its hard carapace and more robust legs and claws. The male does not go through any soft-bodied stages.[5]