Lithodes australiensis

Lithodes australiensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Lithodidae
Genus:	Lithodes
Species:	L. australiensis
Binomial name
	Lithodes australiensis; Ahyong, 2010

Holotype site^[1]

Lithodes australiensis is a species of king crab.^[1] They live in southeastern Australia, known as far north as Cape Hawke and as far south as the South Tasman Rise.^[1] They have been found at depths between 540–1,312 m (1,772–4,304 ft), but they typically live between 1,000–1,100 m (3,300–3,600 ft).^[1]

Appearance

L. australiensis is deep-red in colour.^[1] It has a pyriform carapace featuring prominent, slender spines sparsely interspersed with granules on its dorsal surface.^[1] The carapace has been measured as large as 199.7 mm (7.86 in)^[a] in length and 127.5 mm (5.02 in) in width in males.^[1]^[b] It has a prominent rostrum, comprising about half of the carapace length in juveniles and about one-third in adults.^[1] Its chelipeds and walking legs have major spines separated by a smooth or mostly smooth surface, and the chelipeds are around half the length of the walking legs.^[1] The chelae bear small spines and tubercles, and the fingers have tufts of golden setae arranged in rows.^[1] Its frontmost pair of walking legs tend to be smaller than the other two, and all of its dactyli are curved.^[1] On its underside, the third through fifth segments of its abdomen have a median plate featuring nodules.^[1] Toward the posterior, its abdomen has a wrinkly second segment, and toward the front, it has a rounded telson.^[1]

Notes

^ Postrostral carapace length 132.8 mm (5.23 in)
^ No current records exist of adult females.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Ahyong, Shane T. (2010). The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: King Crabs of New Zealand, Australia, and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) (PDF). NIWA Biodiversity Memoirs. Vol. 123. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. pp. 29–37. ISBN 978-0478232851. LCCN 2010497356. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2020.

External links

Data related to Lithodes australiensis at Wikispecies

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[2] Postrostral carapace length 132.8 mm (5.23 in)

[3] No current records exist of adult females.

[Ahyong_2010-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ Ahyong, Shane T. (2010). The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: King Crabs of New Zealand, Australia, and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) (PDF). NIWA Biodiversity Memoirs. Vol. 123. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research. pp. 29–37. ISBN 978-0478232851. LCCN 2010497356. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 February 2020.

[1]

[a]

[b]