Pirimela
Genus of crabs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pirimela is a genus of crab containing a single species, Pirimela denticulata.
| Pirimela | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Carcinidae |
| Genus: | Pirimela Leach, 1816 |
| Species: | P. denticulata |
| Binomial name | |
| Pirimela denticulata (Montagu, 1808) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Description
Pirimela denticulata is a "small, pretty crab",[2] up to 12 mm (0.5 in) long and 15 mm (0.6 in) across the carapace.[3] Its colouring is mostly green, with mottling of brown, purple or red.[2] The front edge of the carapace has three teeth between the eyes, two teeth around the orbits of the eyes and five teeth along either side.[2]
Distribution and ecology
Pirimela denticulata is found from the British Isles to Mauritania, the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, and the Azores.[4] It lives in burrows in sandy sediments, or on underwater vegetation, at depths of up to 250 m (820 ft).[4]
Taxonomy
Pirimela denticulata was first described by George Montagu in 1808, under the name Cancer denticulata.[5] It was later transferred by William Elford Leach to his new genus Pirimela, which contains only P. denticulata.[6] A second species of Pirimela, P. princeps, is now considered to be synonymous with P. denticulata.[1]
