The Majoidea are a superfamily of

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura (meaning "short tailed" in Greek language, Greek), which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen#Arthropoda, abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the Thorax (arthropo ...

s which includes the various spider crabs.

Taxonomy

In "''A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans''" De Grave and colleagues divided Majoidea into six families. The classification has since been revised, with subfamilies Epialtinae and Mithracinae being elevated to families and Hymenosomatidae being moved to its own superfamily. The family composition according to the

World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...

is as follows: * Epialtidae MacLeay, 1838 * Inachidae MacLeay, 1838 * Inachoididae Dana, 1851 * Macrocheiridae Dana, 1851 *

Majidae Majidae is a family (biology), family of crabs, comprising around 200 Ocean, marine species inside 52 genera, with a carapace that is longer than it is broad, and which forms a point at the front. The arthropod leg, legs can be very long in some ...

Samouelle, 1819 – "true" spider crabs * Mithracidae Balss, 1929 * Oregoniidae Garth, 1958 * Priscinachidae Breton, 2009 Notable species within the superfamily include: * Japanese spider crab (''Macrocheira kaempferi''), the largest living species of crab, found on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. * '' Libinia emarginata'', the portly spider crab, a species of crab found in estuarine habitats on the east coast of North America. * ''

Hyas Hyas (, ; ), in Greek mythology, was a Boeotian who was regarded as the ancestor of the ancient Hyantes (Ὕαντες), who were the aboriginal inhabitants of Boeotia. His name means rain from ''hyô, hyetos.'' Family Hyas was the son of the ...

'', a genus of spider crabs, including the great spider crab (''Hyas araneus''), found in the Atlantic and the North Sea. * ''

Maja squinado ''Maja squinado'' (the European spider crab, spiny spider crab or spinous spider crab) is a species of Animal migration, migratory crab found in the Mediterranean Sea. The appearance of the European spider crab is similar to the much larger Japan ...

'', sometimes called the "European long leg crab or pie faced crab" because of the way its face is shaped. * Australian majid spider crab, found off Tasmania, are known to pile up on each other, the faster-moving crabs clambering over the smaller, slower ones. There is one fossil family, Priscinachidae, represented by a single species, '' Priscinachus elongatus'', from the

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the International Commission on Stratigraphy's (ICS) geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age (geology), age of the Late Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or the lowest stage (stratigraphy), stage of the Upper Cretace ...

of France. Image:Candy crab.jpg, '' Hoplophrys oatesi'', an Epialtidae Image:Limnopilos naiyanetri - (4).jpg, '' Limnopilos naiyanetri'', a Hymenosomatidae Image:Macrocheira kaempferi.jpg, '' Macrocheira kaempferi'', an Inachidae Image:Pyromaia cuspidata.jpg, '' Pyromaia cuspidata'', an Inachoididae Image:Maja squinado.jpg, ''

'', a

Image:Hyas coarctatus.jpg, '' Hyas coarctatus'', an Oregoniidae

References

Cenomanian first appearances Arthropod superfamilies Extant Cenomanian first appearances {{Majoidea-stub