Metacarcinus edwardsii

Metacarcinus edwardsii, sometimes known as mola rock crab,[1] southern rock crab,[2] or Chilean rock crab,[2] is a species of crab from the Pacific coast of South America.[1][3]

Metacarcinus edwardsii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Infraorder:
Brachyura
Family:
Cancridae
Genus:
Metacarcinus
Species:
M. edwardsii
Binomial name
Metacarcinus edwardsii
(Bell, 1835)
Synonyms
  • Cancer edwardsii Bell, 1835
  • Cancer edwardsii var. annulipes Miers, 1881

Distribution

Metacarcinus edwardsii is found along the Pacific coast between Guayaquil in Ecuador and the Beagle Channel in the southernmost Chile.[3]

Description

Females reach functional maturity at carapace width 106 mm (4.2 in), that is, 50% of females are egg-bearing at this size. Males reach functional maturity at slightly larger sizes.[4] The largest male crabs measure about 165 mm (6.5 in) in carapace width.[5]

Metacarcinus edwardsii is univoltine, with the mating season from October to January.[5]

A typical boat involved in the crab fishery in southern Chile
Typical crab trap used to catch Metacarcinus edwardsii in southern Chile

Utilization

In Chile, it is the most important commercially exploited crab, caught exclusively in artisanal fisheries.[3][4]

References
  1. Davie, P. (2015). "Metacarcinus edwardsii". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  2. "Southern rock crab Metacarcinus edwardsii" (PDF). Product information sheet. Great Northern Products, Ltd. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
  3. Rojas-Hernandez, Noemi; Véliz, David; Pardo, Luis Miguel (22 April 2014). "Use of novel microsatellite markers for population and paternity analysis in the commercially important crab (Brachyura: Cancridae)". Marine Biology Research. 10 (8): 839–844. doi:10.1080/17451000.2013.863350.
  4. Pardo, Luis Miguel; Fuentes, Juan Pablo; Olguín, Andrés; Orensanz, J. M. (Lobo) (2009). "Reproductive maturity in the edible Chilean crab Cancer edwardsii: methodological and management considerations". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 89 (8): 1627–1634. doi:10.1017/S0025315409000010. ISSN 1469-7769.
  5. Pardo, Luis Miguel; Rosas, Yenifer; Fuentes, Juan Pablo; Riveros, Marcela Paz; Chaparro, Oscar Roberto; Duplisea, Daniel E. (13 March 2015). "Fishery induces sperm depletion and reduction in male reproductive potential for crab species under male-biased harvest strategy". PLoS ONE. 10 (3): e0115525. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0115525. PMC 4359117.
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