- Corystes cassivelaunus
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Corystes cassivelaunus 
A male C. cassivelaunus Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Crustacea Class: Malacostraca Order: Decapoda Infraorder: Brachyura Family: Corystidae Genus: Corystes Species: C. cassivelaunus Binomial name Corystes cassivelaunus
(Pennant, 1777)Synonyms Corystes cassivelaunus, the masked crab, helmet crab or sand crab,[1] is a burrowing crab of the North Atlantic and North Sea from Portugal to Norway, which also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea.[2] It may grow up to 4 centimetres or 1.6 inches long (carapace length).[1] The name "masked crab" derives from the patterns on the carapace which resemble a human face, in a similar manner to heikegani.[3]
C. cassivelaunus lives buried in sandy substrates, where it feeds on the infaunal invertebrates such as polychaete worms and bivalve molluscs.[1] It uses its two antennae to form a breathing tube that allows oxygenated water down into the substrate.[4][5] The chelipeds of males are much longer than the body, while those of females are only about as long as the carapace.[6]
References
- ^ a b c "Masked crab (Corystes cassivelaunus)". ARKive.org. http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_marine/Corystes_cassivelaunus/more_info.html. Retrieved November 14, 2006.
- ^ "Crabs of the Southern North Sea". Department Zeevisserij (Sea Fisheries Department). October 8, 2001. http://www.dvz.be/Crabs/.
- ^ Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913). masked crab. http://1913.mshaffer.com/d/search/_words.word,masked.
- ^ "Helmkrab" (in Dutch). Waddenzee.nl. http://www.waddenzeesites.nl/asp/getecomare.asp?hrec=8904000&language=Dutch. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
- ^ "Masked crab, Corystes cassivelaunus". Sefton Coast. http://www.seftoncoast.org.uk/images/co_cass.html.
- ^ M. J. De Kluijver. & S. S. Ingalsuo. "Corystes cassivelaunus". Macrobenthos of the North Sea: Crustacea. Universiteit van Amsterdam. http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/bis/crustacea.php?menuentry=soorten&selected=beschrijving&id=184. Retrieved January 9, 2010.
Categories: Crabs | Crustaceans of the Atlantic Ocean | Animals described in 1777
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