Cancer oregonensis

Taxobox
name = "Cancer oregonensis"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Malacostraca
ordo = Decapoda
familia = Cancridae
genus = "Cancer"
species = "oregonensis"

Characteristics

"Cancer oregonensis", commonly known as pygmy rock crab, are usually red/brown but this may vary; their legs have many setae (hair); width of the carapace gets up to about 5 cm; tips of cheliped are black and the dactyle of the cheliped doesn’t have any spiny ridges; the carapace is widest at the 7th or 8th lateral tooth; the dorsal surface is covered with small tubercles (rounded projections), males have longer chelipad’s than females.

Habitat

They are found mostly in crevasses, holes (dead barnacles) and under rocks. They are commonly found in the intertidal zone but can live in depths of up 436 meters underwater.

Feeding

They are nocturnal feeders, feeding mostly on small barnacles, snails, bivalves, worms, green algae and Japanese oysters.

Predators

Pacific Cod, River otters and red rock crab.

Breeding

Breeding occurs during the summer, for the Puget Sound females are ovigerous from November to April/May. It is not unusual to find harems consisting of 1 male with as many as 7 females. Males may carry females that are molting and continue them until their new shell hardens, for mating occurs after females molt.

References

* Marine invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest by Eugene N. Kozloff
*http://www.beachwatchers.wsu.edu/ezidweb/animals/Canceroregonensis.htm
*http://www.wallawalla.edu/academics/department/biology/rosario/arthropoda/crustacea/malacostacea/eucmalacrotraca/eucarida/decapoda/brachyum.htm