- Mithrax spinosissimus
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Mithrax spinosissimus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Crustacea Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Infraorder: Brachyura Family: Majidae Genus: Mithrax Species: M. spinosissimus Binomial name Mithrax spinosissimus
(Lamarck, 1818)Synonyms [1] Maia spinosissimus Lamarck, 1818
Mithrax spinosissimus, also known as the West Indian spider crab, is a species of spider crab that occurs throughout South Florida and across the Caribbean Islands.[2] The diet of this crab is largely unknown; however, it is considered a large omnivore, reaching size up to 2 kg, which has been noted to feed on algae and carrion [3]. Unlike crabs such as the blue crab, the West Indian spider crab is not commercially harvested for its meat, though it is said to be delicious.[2]
References
- ^ Peter K. L. Ng, Danièle Guinot & Peter J. F. Davie (2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 17: 1–286. http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s17/s17rbz.pdf.
- ^ a b Dara H. Wilber & T. Payson Wilber, Jr. (1991). "Environmental influences on the growth and survival of West Indian spider crabs Mithrax spinosissimus in culture". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 146 (1): 27–38. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(91)90253-S.
- ^ Dara H. Wilber & T. Payson Wilber, Jr. (1989). "The effects of holding space and diet on the growth of the West Indian spider crab Mithrax spinosissimus". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 131 (3): 215–222. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(89)90113-5.
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