Glebocarcinus oregonensis

Glebocarcinus oregonensis, commonly known as the pygmy rock crab, is a species of crab found on the Pacific coast of North America.

Glebocarcinus oregonensis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Crustacea
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Infraorder:	Brachyura
Family:	Cancridae
Genus:	Glebocarcinus
Species:	G. oregonensis
Binomial name
Glebocarcinus oregonensis (Dana, 1852) [1]
Synonyms [1]
Trichocera oregonensis Dana, 1852 Platycarcinus recurvidens Bate, 1864 Trichocarcinus walkeri Holmes, 1900 Lophopanopeus somaterianus Rathbun, 1930

Description

It is usually red/brown but this may vary; their legs have many setae (hairs). The carapace reaches a width of about 5 centimetres (2 in), and is widest at the 7th or 8th lateral tooth.[2] The chelipeds are black at the tip, and the dactylus of the cheliped has no spiny ridges; the dorsal surface is covered with small tubercles (rounded projections), and males have larger chelipeds than females.[3]

Ecology

Glebocarcinus oregonensis is found mostly in crevices, holes (dead barnacles) and under rocks.[3] They can live in depths of up to 1,400 feet (430 m).[2] They are nocturnal feeders, feeding mostly on small barnacles, snails, bivalves, worms, green algae and Pacific oysters.[3] Predators include Pacific cod, river otters and red rock crab.[3]

Breeding occurs during the summer, and the Puget Sound females carry eggs from November to May.[3] It is not unusual to find harems consisting of one male with as many as seven females.[3] Males may carry females that are molting and continue until their new shell hardens, for mating occurs after females molt.[3]

References

1. Peter K. L. Ng; Danièle Guinot & Peter 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.
2. Mary Jo Adams (December 5, 2005). "Cancer oregonensis (Pygmy rock crab)". Intertidal Organisms EZ-ID Guides. Washington State University Extension - Island County. Retrieved February 3, 2010.
3. Dave Cowles (2005). "Glebocarcinus oregonensis (Dana), Schweitzer and Feldmann, 2000)". Walla Walla University. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved February 3, 2010.

Further reading

• Eugene N. Kozloff & Linda H. Price (1996). Marine invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press. ISBN 978-0-295-97562-7.