Pleistacantha
Genus of crabs
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pleistacantha is a genus of crabs in the family Oregoniidae.[3] The genus occurs throughout many coasts in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.[2]
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| Pleistacantha | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pleistacantha kannu A. male, B. female | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Oregoniidae |
| Genus: | Pleistacantha Miers, 1879 |
| Type species | |
| Pleistacantha sanctijohannis | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
| |
Description
Pleistacantha has a pyriform carapace which is longer than it is wide – at most 146 mm (5.7 in) long.[4] The carapace is densely covered by spines and granules, and its walking legs are lined with spines and spinules.[4] Its first pair of gonopods is slender and, like in all oregoniid crabs, features a longitudinal groove.[5] Males have a tapered abdomen, and depending on the species, the sixth abdominal segment and the telson may be either separate or fused together.[4]
Taxonomy
Pleistacantha was described by zoologist Edward J. Miers in 1879.[1] Its name is derived from the Greek roots pleistos (πλεῖστος), a superlative meaning "many", and acantha (άκανθα), meaning "spine".[1] In 2013, evidence that the family Inachoididae was not monophyletic prompted carcinologists to move Pleistacantha and several other genera into the family Oregoniidae.[6]
Species
The following species are recognized in this genus:[3][2]
- Pleistacantha cervicornis Ihle & Ihle-Landenberg, 1931
- Pleistacantha exophthalmus Guinot & Richer de Forges, 1982
- Pleistacantha griffini Ahyong & T Lee, 2006
- Pleistacantha kannu Ng, Ravinesh & Ravichandran, 2017
- Pleistacantha maxima Ahyong & T Lee, 2006
- Pleistacantha moseleyi (Miers, 1885)
- Pleistacantha naresii (Miers, 1885)
- Pleistacantha ori Ahyong & Ng, 2007
- Pleistacantha oryx Ortmann, 1893
- Pleistacantha pungens (Wood-Mason, 1891)
- Pleistacantha rubida (Alcock, 1895)
- Pleistacantha sanctijohannis Miers, 1879
- Pleistacantha stilipes Ahyong, Chen & Ng, 2005
