Homola barbata

Homola barbata is a species of crab in the family Homolidae.

Homola barbata
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Infraorder:
Brachyura
Family:
Homolidae
Genus:
Homola
Species:
H. barbata
Binomial name
Homola barbata
(Fabricius, 1793)
Synonyms [1]
  • Cancer barbatus Fabricius, 1793
  • Cancer cubicus Forskål, 1775 (suppressed)
  • Cancer novemdecos Sulzer, 1776 (suppressed)
  • Dorippe fronticornis Lamarck in White, 1847 (nomen nudum)
  • Thelxiope palpigera Rafinesque, 1814
  • Homola spinifrons Leach, 1815
  • Dorippe spinosus Risso, 1816

Description

They usually have squarish carapaces with forward-pointing spines along the upper front edges.[2] The animal's chelipeds are shorter than their other legs (the back pair are short, thin and doubled back on themselves).[2] The animal's carapace grows to 2 inches (51 mm) long.[2]

Ecology

Homola barbata inhabits shelly, sandy, and muddy seabeds at depths of 130–1,300 feet (40–396 m).[2] They feed on algae, small mollusks and also scavenge for food.[2] Reproduction is sexual, and through copulation.[2]

Distribution

In the eastern part of its range, Homola barbata is found in the Mediterranean Sea and into the North Atlantic. In the western part of its range, H. barbata is found from Virginia southwards, through the Gulf of Mexico and the West Indies, along the coasts of Central and South America to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.[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. Michael Wright & Giles Sparrow (2003). Marine Life. Expert Guide. White Lion Street, London: Amber Books. ISBN 1-897884-90-7.
  3. Giovana Bertini; Adilson Fransozo & Gustavo A. S. de Melo (2004). "Biodiversity of brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from non-consolidated sublittoral bottom on the northern coast of São Paulo State, Brazil" (PDF). Biodiversity and Conservation. 13 (12): 2185–2207. doi:10.1023/B:BIOC.0000047900.96123.34.
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