Xylopaguridae
Family of hermit crab
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Xylopaguridae are a family of hermit crabs of the order Decapoda.[2][3] It was erected in 2016 to accommodate the newly-named Prexylopagurus alongside three existing genera that had previously been placed in Paguridae. They occur in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.[1]
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| Xylopaguridae Temporal range: Upper Albian–recent, | |
|---|---|
| |
| Xylopagurus rectus | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Superfamily: | Paguroidea |
| Family: | Xylopaguridae Gašparič, Fraaije, Robin & de Angeli, 2016[1] |
| Type genus | |
| Xylopagurus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880 | |
Some sources do not recognize Xylopaguridae, listing the species and genera that were transferred to it under their original family, Paguridae.[4]
Evolution
The family appears to have evolved in the Tethys Ocean,[1] with its oldest member being Paguritergites yvonnecooleae,[1] the only known species of its genus (Monotypic taxon),[5] from the upper Albian (mid-Cretaceous) of northwest Spain.[1]
Description and ecology
Xylopagurids have an elongated, subcylindrical carapace. They are adapted to live in cavities such as hollow pieces of bamboo and driftwood, or in empty polychaete tubes.[1] Unlike typical hermit crabs, they inhabit open-ended cavities which they enter head-first. The posterior opening of the cavity is blocked by a strongly calcified portion of the abdomen,[clarification needed] whereas a massive, strongly-armed right cheliped protects the anterior opening.[6]
Xylopagurids occur from shallow waters to depths of several hundreds of meters, the record being Prexylopagurus caledonicus dredged from a depth of 591 metres (1,939 ft).[1]
Genera
There are four genera, two of which are extant:[2]
- †Lessinipagurus Beschin, De Angeli, Checchi & Zarantonello, 2012
- †Paguritergites Fraaije, Artal, Van Bakel, Jagt & Klompmaker, 2013
- Prexylopagurus Gašparič, Fraaije, Robin & de Angeli, 2016
- Xylopagurus A. Milne-Edwards, 1880
