Global InformationMetacarcinus gracilis information
| Metacarcinus gracilis | |
|---|---|
| |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Cancridae |
| Genus: | Metacarcinus |
| Species: | M. gracilis
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| Binomial name | |
| Metacarcinus gracilis (Dana, 1852) [1]
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| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Cancer gracilis Dana, 1852 | |
The graceful rock crab or slender crab, Metacarcinus gracilis (the naming convention recognized by WoRMS) or Cancer gracilis (the naming convention recognized by ITIS), is one of only two members of the genus Metacarcinus, recognized by WoRMS, whose chelae (claws) are white tipped, the other crab being M. magister (Dungeness crab).[2] Both of these eastern Pacific crab species are recognized by ITIS as belonging to the much larger genus Cancer. M. gracilis has been caught from Alaska to Bahía Magdelena, Baja California.[3] Although M. gracilis is only found in the Pacific Ocean, it has cousins in the Atlantic Ocean. The genus Cancer (sensu lato) apparently evolved in the Pacific Ocean and later migrated to the Atlantic Ocean.[4] Larvae and small juveniles of this species are often seen riding jellyfish, especially Phacellophora camtschatica. The juvenile crabs steal food from the jellyfish and also clean off parasitic amphipods.[5]
- ^ a b P. K. L. Ng; D. Guinot; P. J. F. Davie (2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 17: 1–286. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06.
- ^ Eugene N. Kozloff (1983). Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN 9780295960845.
- ^ J. Dale Nations (1975). "The genus Cancer (Crustacea: Bachyura): systematics, biogeography, and fossil record" (PDF). Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Science Bulletin. 23: 1–104.
- ^ Michelle K. Harrison; Bernard J. Crespi (1999). "Phylogenetics of Cancer crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 12 (2): 186–199. doi:10.1006/mpev.1998.0608. PMID 10381321.
- ^ Trisha Towanda; Erik V. Thuesen (2006). "Ectosymbiotic behavior of Cancer gracilis and its trophic relationships with its host Phacellophora camtschatica and the parasitoid Hyperia medusarum". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 315: 221–236. Bibcode:2006MEPS..315..221T. doi:10.3354/meps315221.