Monoculus polyphemus Linnaeus, 1758 Cancer polyphemus Linnaeus, 1758
Atlantic horseshoe crab on the shore at Brighton Beach, New York City
The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), also known as the American horseshoe crab, is a species of horseshoe crab, a kind of marine and brackish chelicerate arthropod.[1] It is found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America.[1] The main area of annual migration is Delaware Bay along the South Jersey Delaware Bayshore.[3]
Their eggs were eaten by Native Americans,[4] but today Atlantic horseshoe crabs are caught for use as fishing bait, in biomedicine (especially for Limulus amebocyte lysate) and science.[1] They play a major role in the local ecosystems, with their eggs providing an important food source for shorebirds, and the juveniles and adults being eaten by sea turtles.[1][3]
The other three extant (living) species in the family Limulidae are also called horseshoe crabs, but they are restricted to Asia.[5] Despite the name, horseshoe crabs are more closely related to arachnids like spiders and scorpions than they are to crabs or other crustaceans.[6]
^ abcdeSmith, D.R.; Beekey, M.A.; Brockmann, H.J.; King, T.L.; Millard, M.J.; Zaldívar-Rae, J.A. (2016). "Limulus polyphemus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T11987A80159830. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T11987A80159830.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^"Limulus polyphemus. NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
^ ab"Horseshoe crab spawning and red knot migration". Delaware Audubon. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2017.
^Zaldívar-Rae, J.; Sapién-Silva, R.E.; Rosales-Raya, M.; Brockmann, H. J. (2009). "American horseshoe crabs, Limulus polyphemus, in México: open possibilities". In Tanacredi, J.T.; Botton, M.L.; Smith, D.R. (eds.). Biology and Conservation of Horseshoe Crabs. Springer. pp. 97–113. ISBN 9780387899589.
^"The Horseshoe Crab Natural History: Crab Species". Archived from the original on 12 February 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-01.
^Krisfaulsi-Gannon, Jordan (2018). "The Role of Horseshoe Crabs in the Biomedical Industry and Recent Trends Impacting Species Sustainability". Frontiers in Marine Science. 5. doi:10.3389/fmars.2018.00185.
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