The Majoidea are a superfamily of crabs 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: * Family Epialtidae ** Subfamily Epialtinae ** Subfamily Pisinae ** Subfamily Pliosomatinae ** Subfamily Tychiinae * Family Hymenosomatidae * Family Inachidae * Family

Inachoididae Inachoididae is a family of crabs originally erected by James Dwight Dana in 1852. It was not recognised as a valid family until the early 1980s. Its members closely resemble those of the family Inachidae, and the Inachoididae could be recogni ...

* Family Majidae ** Subfamily Eurynolambrinae ** Subfamily Majinae ** Subfamily Micromaiinae ** Subfamily Mithracinae ** Subfamily Planoterginae * Family

Oregoniidae The Oregoniidae are a family of crabs, formerly included in the family Majidae. It contains the four genera ''Chionoecetes'', ''Hyas Hyas ( grc, Ὑάς, Hūás, ; ), in Greek mythology, was a Boeotian who was regarded as the ancestor of the a ...

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 list of names of marine organisms. Content The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scientific speciali ...

is as follows: * family Epialtidae MacLeay, 1838 * family Inachidae MacLeay, 1838 * family

Dana, 1851 * family Macrocheiridae Dana, 1851 * family Majidae Samouelle, 1819 – "true" spider crabs * family Mithracidae Balss, 1929 * family

Garth, 1958 * family 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'', a genus of spider crabs, including the great spider crab (''Hyas araneus''), found in the Atlantic and the North Sea. * '' Maja squinado'', 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 of France. Image:Candy crab.jpg, '' Hoplophrys oatesi'', an Epialtidae Image:Limnopilos naiyanetri - (4).jpg, ''

Limnopilos naiyanetri ''Limnopilos naiyanetri'', commonly referred to as the Thai micro crab or pill-box crab, is a freshwater hymenosomatid crab endemic to Thailand. Its presence has only been confirmed in the Tha Chin River. The species was described in 1991 and r ...

'', a Hymenosomatidae Image:Macrocheira kaempferi.jpg, '' Macrocheira kaempferi'', an Inachidae Image:Pyromaia cuspidata.jpg, ''

Pyromaia cuspidata ''Pyromaia cuspidata'', also known as the dartnose pear crab, is a species of crab in the family Inachoididae. This crab appears similar to ''Anasimus latus''. It is a long-legged crab with a trident-shaped rostrum, and occurs in Atlantic waters ...

'', an

Image:Maja squinado.jpg, '' Maja squinado'', a Majidae Image:Hyas coarctatus.jpg, ''

Hyas coarctatus ''Hyas coarctatus'' is a marine crab species native to the North Atlantic. It is characterized by a lyriformed shell. Morphology ''Hyas coarctatus'' looks like the great spider crab (''H. araneus'') but has a lyriformed shell. The carapace of ...

'', an

References

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