Glyptolithodes

Taxobox | name = "Glyptolithodes cristatipes"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Crustacea
classis = Malacostraca
ordo = Decapoda
familia = Lithodidae
genus = "Glyptolithodes"
genus_authority = Faxon, 1895 [ITIS|ID=97961|taxon="Glyptolithodes"]
species = "G. cristatipes"
binomial = "Glyptolithodes cristatipes"
binomial_authority = (Faxon, 1893) [ITIS|ID=97962|taxon="Glyptolithodes cristatipes"]
synonyms = "Rhinolithodes cristatipes" Faxon, 1893 cite journal |quotes=no |author=Joel W. Martin, Carlos A. Sanchez & Ricardo Pereyra |year=1997 |title=Notes on the distribution of two lithodid crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura) from off the coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico |journal=Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Science |volume=96 |issue=2 |pages=78–86 |url=http://atiniui.nhm.org/pdfs/11448/11448.pdf]

"Glyptolithodes cristatipes", also known as the Peruvian centolla, is a species of king crab, and the only species in the genus "Glyptolithodes" . The species was briefly placed in the related genus "Rhinolithodes" after its initial description, but was soon moved to its own genus .

"G. cristatipes" is found off the Pacific coasts of South America, especially Chile and Peru, and extending as far northwards as Southern California and as far south as 33° 35' S cite journal |quotes=no |author=José Luis Brito M. |title=Lithodidae registrados frente a San Antonio, Chile central (Crustacea, Anomura) |journal=Investigaciones Marinas |year=2002 |volume=30 |issue=1 |pages=57–62 |url=http://www.scielo.cl/pdf/imar/v30n1/art04.pdf es icon] . The most closely related genera to "Glyptolithodes" all live in the Northern Hemisphere, suggesting that "Glyptolithodes" has migrated from its ancestral home to the Southern Hemisphere, where it is now most abundant .

This species shows notable sexual dimorphism, with the males have a right cheliped which is larger than the left .

Physical characteristics

It differs from the Chilean centolla or Argentinian centolla in that it is bigger, it can measure a leg span of 1 meter, it has less spines than the others, and its meat texture is firm and tasty, rich in proteins and low in fats. It is gaining more acceptance around different chefs from Europe and Japan. It is also cheaper than other king crab fished in northern latitudes because there are fishing grounds closer to the coast.

Habitat

The Peruvian centolla is found in depths below the 600 m to 1000 m zone. At these depths, the dissolved oxygen content starts rising because of the presence of intermediate Antarctic waters. These waters are between 4 to 7 degrees Celsius and have a saline content between 34.45 and 34.6 . Like its name suggests, this water current comes from the Antarctic Ocean, and it is under the current of the deep equatorial waters (warm waters), which are known for their low dissolved oxygen content.

References