''Neolithodes'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of king crabs in the subfamily Lithodinae. They are found in all major

ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

s, both in high and low

latitude In geography, latitude is a geographic coordinate system, geographic coordinate that specifies the north-south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from −90° at t ...

s. Although there are records from water as shallow as in cold regions, most records are much deeper, typically , with the deepest confirmed at . They are fairly large to large crabs that typically are reddish in color and spiny, although the size of these spines varies depending on species (from long in species like '' N. grimaldii'' to very short in species like '' N. flindersi'', and tending to be more pronounced in small than in large individuals).

Interactions with other species

Various sessile organisms such as

barnacle Barnacles are arthropods of the subclass (taxonomy), subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacean, Crustacea. They are related to crabs and lobsters, with similar Nauplius (larva), nauplius larvae. Barnacles are exclusively marine invertebra ...

s are sometimes attached to their

carapace A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...

and legs, and small

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit f ...

amphipod Amphipoda () is an order of malacostracan crustaceans with no carapace and generally with laterally compressed bodies. Amphipods () range in size from and are mostly detritivores or scavengers. There are more than 10,700 amphipod species cur ...

s may live in their carapace. They are occasionally the victims of

parasitic Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The ent ...

snailfish of the genus '' Careproctus'', which lay their egg mass in the

gill A gill () is a respiration organ, respiratory organ that many aquatic ecosystem, aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow r ...

chamber of the crab, forming a mobile "home" until they hatch. Conversely, some juvenile ''Neolithodes'' have a commensal relationship with ''

Scotoplanes ''Scotoplanes'' is a genus of deep-sea sea cucumbers of the family Elpidiidae. Its species are commonly known as sea pigs. Locomotion Members of the Elpidiidae have particularly enlarged tube "feet" that have taken on a leg-like appearance, u ...

'' sea cucumbers. To protect itself from large predators, the young crab hides under the sea cucumber.

Taxonomy

The word ''Neolithodes'' derives from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

, meaning ''new'', and ''

Lithodes ''Lithodes'' is a genus of king crabs. Today there are about 30 recognized species, but others formerly included in this genus have been moved to ''Neolithodes'' and ''Paralomis''. They are found in oceans around the world, ranging from shallow t ...

'', a closely related genus of king crab. The name of the latter genus originates from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, meaning ''stone like''. No known ''Neolithodes''

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserve ...

s exist.

Species

''Neolithodes'' contains the following species:

References

Works cited

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Crustaceans, Marine life King crabs Taxa named by Eugène Louis Bouvier Decapod genera