Paralomis dawsoni
Species of king crab
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paralomis dawsoni is a species of king crab that lives in New Caledonia, northern New Zealand, and the Solomon Islands at depths of 400–1,118 m (1,312–3,668 ft).[2][3][4] Alongside P. zealandica, it is one of the two most common species of Paralomis in New Zealand.[3] As of 2023[update], the Department of Conservation in New Zealand classifies P. dawsoni as "Naturally Uncommon".[1]
| Paralomis dawsoni | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Family: | Lithodidae |
| Genus: | Paralomis |
| Species: | P. dawsoni |
| Binomial name | |
| Paralomis dawsoni Macpherson, 2001[2] | |
Description
P. dawsoni is orange-red or red-brown in colour and has a subhexagonal carapace covered uniformly in blunt tubercles.[3] Tubercles and coarse spines cover its legs, and its chelipeds are especially spinose.[3] It is the largest species of Paralomis known to occur in New Zealand, with one specimen measured to have a post-pseudorostral carapace length of 142.7 mm (5.62 in) and a carapace width of 139.8 mm (5.50 in).[3]
Taxonomy
The species name "dawsoni" is dedicated to Elliot Watson Dawson of the National Museum of New Zealand.[2]
