Orithyia sinica

Orithyia sinica, sometimes called tiger crab or the tiger face crab, is a "singularly unusual" species of crab,[1] whose characteristics warrant its separation into a separate genus, family and even superfamily,[1] having previously been included in the Dorippoidea or Leucosioidea.[2] Its larvae, for instance, are unlike those of any other crab.[3]

Orithyia sinica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Infraorder:
Brachyura
Section:
Eubrachyura
Subsection:
Heterotremata
Superfamily:
Orithyioidea

Dana, 1852
Family:
Orithyiidae

Dana, 1852
Genus:
Orithyia

Fabricius, 1798
Species:
O. sinica
Binomial name
Orithyia sinica
(Linnaeus, 1771)
Synonyms
  • Cancer sinicus Linnaeus, 1771
  • Cancer bimaculatus Herbst, 1790
  • Cancer mammillaris Fabricius, 1793

Description

O. sinica is a distinctive species, with stripes on the legs, and prominent eyespots on the carapace; the females' abdomen is unusually narrow, leaving the vulvae exposed.[1] The legs are flattened at the end, and this is an adaptation to digging, not swimming.[1]

Distribution and fishery

O. sinica is found along the coast of mainland Asia from South Korea to Hong Kong, but is missing from the nearby islands, such as Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands and Japan, even though the intervening waters are shallow and the crab's larvae are planktonic.[1] Throughout its range, O. sinica is fished on a small scale and commands high prices.[1]

Etymology

The name Orithyia (also spelt Orithuja) commemorates Orithyia, daughter of Erechtheus, King of Athens.[1]

References
  1. Ng, Peter K. L.; Guinot, Danièle; Davie, Peter J. F. (31 January 2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 17: 1–286. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.649.2033. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 April 2016.
  2. Martin, Joel W.; Davis, George E. (14 December 2001). An Updated Classification of the Recent Crustacea (PDF). Science Series. 39. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. p. 132. ISBN 1-891276-27-1. LCCN 2005351454. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 May 2017.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. Rice, A. L. (1980). "The first zoeal stage of Ebalia nux A. Milne Edwards 1883, with a discussion of the zoeal characters of the Leucosiidae (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura)". Journal of Natural History. 14 (3): 331–337. doi:10.1080/00222938000770281.
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