Lithodes aotearoa
| Lithodes aotearoa | |
|---|---|
| |
| Juvenile above, adult specimen below | |
| |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Family: | Lithodidae |
| Genus: | Lithodes |
| Species: | L. aotearoa |
| Binomial name | |
| Lithodes aotearoa | |
Lithodes aotearoa is a New Zealand species of king crab.[2] It had formerly been confused with L. longispina and L. murrayi, but neither of those species are found in New Zealand.[2] It is the second most widespread and common lithodid in New Zealand waters after Neolithodes brodiei,[2] and the New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies it as "Not Threatened".[1]
Appearance
L. aotearoa is deep-purplish red in colour and has prominent, slender spines on its dorsal surface with the area inbetween being mostly smooth.[2] They have a pyriform carapace having been measured as large as 195.0 mm (7.68 in) in postrostral length and 199.1 mm (7.84 in) in width in males. In females, the largest carapace measured 190.5 mm (7.50 in) in postrostral length and 183.9 mm (7.24 in) in width.[2][a] They are the largest lithodids known from New Zealand.[2]
Notes
References
- ^ a b Funnell, Greig; et al. (January 2023). Todd, Amanda (ed.). Conservation status of indigenous marine invertebrates in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2021 (PDF) (Report). New Zealand Department of Conservation. p. 36. ISBN 978-1-99-118365-1. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Shane T. Ahyong (2010). The marine fauna of New Zealand: king crabs of New Zealand, Australia and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae) (PDF). NIWA Biodiversity Memoir. Vol. 123. ISBN 978-0-478-23286-8. Wikidata Q63247008.
External links
Media related to Lithodes aotearoa at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Lithodes aotearoa at Wikispecies
