''Portunus'' is a genus 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 several important species for
fisheries
Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life or, more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a., fishing grounds). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farm ...
, such as the
blue swimming crab
''Portunus pelagicus'', also known as the blue crab, blue swimmer crab, blue manna crab and flower crab is a species of large crab found in the Indo-Pacific, including off the coasts Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, and V ...
and the
Gazami crab. Other species, such as the
three-spotted crab are caught as
bycatch
Bycatch (or by-catch), in the fishing industry, is a fish or other marine species that is caught unintentionally while fishing for specific species or sizes of wildlife. Bycatch is either the wrong species, the wrong sex, or is undersized or juve ...
.
The genus ''Portunus'' contains 13 extant species and another 26 species known only from fossils. Fossils of crabs within this genus can be found in sediment of Europe, the United States, Mexico, Venezuela, Brazil and Australia from
Paleogene
The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...
to recent (age range: 48.6 to 0.0 million years ago).
Fossilworks
/ref>
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus ''Portunus'':
References
External links
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*
Portunoidea
Paleogene genus first appearances
Extant Paleogene first appearances
Decapod genera
{{Portunoidea-stub