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Panopeidae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Panopeidae
Dyspanopeus sayi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Superfamily: Xanthoidea
Family: Panopeidae
Ortmann, 1893 [1]
Synonyms [2]

Eucratopsidae Stimpson, 1871 (nom. rej.)

Lophopanopeus bellus, Black-clawed crab, San Luis Obispo County, California

The Panopeidae are a family containing 26 genera of morphologically similar crabs, often known as "mud crabs". Their centers of diversity are the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific Ocean.

Distribution

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Most members of the family Panopeidae live in the Atlantic Ocean or eastern Pacific Ocean. Only one species occurs in Australian waters – Homoioplax haswelli.[2]

Ecology

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The various genera of the Panopeidae are morphologically similar, partly as a result of many instances of convergent evolution to similar habitats and food preferences.[3]

Crabs of the family Panopeidae are all free-living (not commensal or parasitic),[2] and typically live in soft-bottomed parts of the ocean,[3] lending them the common name "mud crabs" (a name also shared by other organisms). They burrow into the sediment and feed on a variety of marine invertebrates.[3]

Genera

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The World Register of Marine Species lists these subfamilies and genera:[1]

Eucratopsinae Stimpson, 1871

Panopeinae Ortmann, 1893

References

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  1. ^ a b Davie, P. (2015). "Panopeidae Ortmann, 1893". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2015-07-03.
  2. ^ a b c P. J. F. Davie (2002). "Panopeidae". Crustacea: Malocostraca: Eucarida (Part 2), Decapoda: Anomura, Brachyura. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 19. Canberra, Australia: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 372–374. ISBN 978-0-643-06792-9.
  3. ^ a b c C. D. Schubart, J. E. Neigel & D. L. Felder (2000). "Molecular phylogeny of mud crabs (Brachyura: Panopeidae) from the northwestern Atlantic and the role of morphological statis and convergence" (PDF). Marine Biology. 137 (1): 11–18. doi:10.1007/s002270000325.
  4. ^ Felder, Darryl L.; Thoma, Brent P. (2020-09-03). "A new genus and species of mud crab (Crustacea, Brachyura, Panopeidae) from shoreline waters of the western Gulf of Mexico". Zootaxa. 4845 (3): 425–435. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4845.3.7. ISSN 1175-5334.