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King crabs, also called stone crabs, are a family of crab
Crab

Crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax....
-like decapod
Decapoda

The decapods or Decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp....
 crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their flesh, many species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 are widely caught and sold as food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
.

King crabs are generally believed to be derived from hermit crab
Hermit crab

Hermit crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea . They are not closely related to true crabs. Hermit crabs are quite commonly seen in the intertidal zone, for example in tide pools....
 ancestor
Ancestor

An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor .Two individuals have a genetics relationship if one is the ancestor of the other, or if they share a common ancestor....
s, which may explain the asymmetry
Asymmetry

Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, a symmetry....
 still found in the adult forms. Although some doubt still exists about this theory
Theory

For a more detailed account of theories as expressed in formal language as they are studied in mathematical logic see Theory A theory, in the general sense of the word, is an analytic structure designed to explain a set of observations....
, king crabs are the most widely quoted example of carcinisation
Carcinisation

In evolutionary biology, carcinisation is a hypothesised process whereby a crustacean evolution into a crab-like form from a non-crab-like form....
 (shellification/crustification) among the Decapoda
Decapoda

The decapods or Decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp....
 (familiar crustaceans).






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King crabs, also called stone crabs, are a family of crab
Crab

Crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax....
-like decapod
Decapoda

The decapods or Decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp....
 crustacean
Crustacean

Crustaceans are a large group of arthropods, comprising almost 52,000 described species , and are usually treated as a subphylum . They include various familiar animals, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles....
s chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their flesh, many species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 are widely caught and sold as food
Food

Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
.

King crabs are generally believed to be derived from hermit crab
Hermit crab

Hermit crabs are Decapoda crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea . They are not closely related to true crabs. Hermit crabs are quite commonly seen in the intertidal zone, for example in tide pools....
 ancestor
Ancestor

An ancestor is a parent or the parent of an ancestor .Two individuals have a genetics relationship if one is the ancestor of the other, or if they share a common ancestor....
s, which may explain the asymmetry
Asymmetry

Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, a symmetry....
 still found in the adult forms. Although some doubt still exists about this theory
Theory

For a more detailed account of theories as expressed in formal language as they are studied in mathematical logic see Theory A theory, in the general sense of the word, is an analytic structure designed to explain a set of observations....
, king crabs are the most widely quoted example of carcinisation
Carcinisation

In evolutionary biology, carcinisation is a hypothesised process whereby a crustacean evolution into a crab-like form from a non-crab-like form....
 (shellification/crustification) among the Decapoda
Decapoda

The decapods or Decapoda are an order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crayfish, crabs, lobsters, prawns and shrimp....
 (familiar crustaceans). The evidence for this explanation comes from the asymmetry of the king crab's abdomen
Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity....
, which is thought to reflect the asymmetry of hermit crabs, which must fit into a spiral shell.

Species

Around 40 species are known , in 14 genera:
  • Acantholithodes Holmes, 1895
    • Acantholithodes hispidus (Stimpson, 1860)
  • Cryptolithodes Brandt, 1848
    • Cryptolithodes brevifrons
    • Cryptolithodes sitchensis Brandt, 1853 — umbrella crab
    • Cryptolithodes typicus Brandt, 1848 — butterfly crab
  • Dermaturus Brandt, 1850
    • Dermaturus mandtii Brandt, 1850 — wrinkled crab
  • Glyptolithodes
    Glyptolithodes

    Glyptolithodes cristatipes, also known as the Peruvian centolla, is a species of king crab, and the only species in the genus Glyptolithodes ....
     Faxon, 1895
    • Glyptolithodes cristatipes (Faxon, 1893)
  • Hapalogaster Brandt, 1850
    • Hapalogaster cavicauda Stimpson, 1859
    • Hapalogaster grebnitzkii Schalfeew, 1892
    • Hapalogaster mertensii Brandt, 1850
  • Lithodes Latreille, 1806
    • Lithodes aequispinus J. E. Benedict, 1895 — golden king crab
    • Lithodes agassizii
    • Lithodes antarcticus
      Lithodes antarcticus

      Lithodes santolla, also known as the southern king crab or Chilean centolla , is a species of king crab, found off the Pacific Ocean coasts of South America, especially from Valdivia, Chile at 39? 50' S to Cape Horn at 60? ....
       - Chilean centolla or Chilean king crab
    • Lithodes couesi J. E. Benedict, 1895 — scarlet king crab
    • Lithodes longispina Sakai, 1971
    • Lithodes maja
      Lithodes maja

      Lithodes maja is a species of king crab which occurs in the colder waters of Europe and North America. It is found along entire coast of Norway , the northern half of the British Isles, and around the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Svalbard and off south-eastern Greenland ....
       (Linnaeus, 1758) — Norway king crab
    • Lithodes nintokuae Sakai, 1976
  • Lopholithodes
    Lopholithodes

    Lopholithodes is a genus of king crab. It includes Lopholithodes foraminatus and Lopholithodes mandtii, the Puget Sound king crab....
     Brandt, 1848
    • Lopholithodes foraminatus (Stimpson, 1859) — brown box crab
    • Lopholithodes mandtii Brandt, 1848 — Puget Sound king crab
  • Neolithodes A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1894
    • Neolithodes agassizii (S. I. Smith, 1882)
    • Neolithodes diomedeae (J. E. Benedict, 1895)
    • Neolithodes grimaldii (A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1894)
  • Oedignathus
    Oedignathus

    Oedignathus inermis is a species of king crab found off the Pacific Ocean coasts of the United States and Canada, from California  to Alaska , and Disjunct distribution around the coasts of Japan ....
     Benedict, 1895
    • Oedignathus inermis (Stimpson, 1860) — granular claw crab
  • Paralithodes Brandt, 1848
    • Paralithodes brevipes (H. Milne Edwards & Lucas, 1841)
    • Paralithodes californiensis (J. E. Benedict, 1895) — California king crab
    • Paralithodes camtschaticus
      Paralithodes camtschaticus

      File:Kingcrabpile.jpgThe red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, is the most coveted of the commercially sold king crab species, and is the most expensive per unit weight....
       (Tilesius, 1815) — red king crab
    • Paralithodes platypus Brandt, 1850 — blue king crab
    • Paralithodes rathbuni (J. E. Benedict, 1895)
  • Paralomis
    Paralomis

    Paralomis is a genus of king crabs. It includes the following species :*Paralomis africana Macpherson, 1982*Paralomis anamerae Macpherson, 1988...
     White, 1856
    • Paralomis bouvieri Hansen, 1908
    • Paralomis cubensis Chace, 1939
    • Paralomis haigae Eldredge, 1976
    • Paralomis longipes Faxon, 1893
    • Paralomis manningi A. B. Williams, C. R. Smith & Baco, 2000
    • Paralomis multispina (J. E. Benedict, 1895)
    • Paralomis pacifica Sakai, 1978
    • Paralomis seagranti Eldredge, 1976
    • Paralomis verrilli (J. E. Benedict, 1895)
  • Phyllolithodes Brandt, 1848
    • Phyllolithodes papillosus Brandt, 1848 — flatspine triangle crab, heart crab
  • Placetron Schalfeew, 1892
    • Placetron wosnessenskii Schalfeew, 1892 — scaled crab
  • Rhinolithodes
    Rhinolithodes

    Rhinolithodes wosnessenskii, also called the rhinoceros crab or golf-ball crab , is a species of king crab, the only species in the genus Rhinolithodes....
     Brandt, 1848
    • Rhinolithodes wosnessenskii Brandt, 1848 — rhinoceros crab


Glyptolithodes

Glyptolithodes is found chiefly in the Southern Hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere

The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half ball'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere south of the celestial equator....
, but extending as far north as California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, although all its closest relatives live in the Northern Hemisphere
Northern Hemisphere

The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator?the word sphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator....
. Its single species, G. cristatipes was originally placed in the genus Rhinolithodes
Rhinolithodes

Rhinolithodes wosnessenskii, also called the rhinoceros crab or golf-ball crab , is a species of king crab, the only species in the genus Rhinolithodes....
.

Lithodes


Lithodes aequispinus
The golden king crab, Lithodes aequispinus, is caught in the Aleutian Chain
Aleutian Islands

The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming a volcanic arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi and extending about 1,200 mi westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula....
 off the coast of Alaska. The golden king crab is significantly smaller than the red and blue king crabs, averaging 5–8 lb
Pound (mass)

The pound or pound-mass is a Units of measurement of massused in the Imperial unit, United States customary units and other systems of measurement....
 (2–4 kg
Kilogram

The kilogram or kilogrammeThe spelling kilogram is used by the International Committee for Weights and Measures and the U.S....
). It tastes similar to the red and blue king crabs, though perhaps somewhat sweeter. They are considerably cheaper due to their appearance and size.

Significant populations occur in pockets in the waters off the Pribilof
Pribilof Islands

The Pribilof Islands are a group of four volcanic islands, part of the United States state of Alaska, lying in the Bering Sea, about 200 miles north of Unalaska, Alaska and 200 miles south of , the nearest point on the North American mainland....
 and Shumagin Islands
Shumagin Islands

The Shumagin Islands are a group of 20 islands in the Aleutians East Borough, Alaska south of the mainland of Alaska, USA, at54?54'?55?20' North 159?15'?160?45' West....
, Shelikof Strait
Shelikof Strait

Shelikof Strait is a strait on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Alaska between the Alaska mainland to the west and Kodiak Island and Afognak islands to the east....
, Prince William Sound
Prince William Sound

Prince William Sound is a Sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula....
 and at least as far south as lower Chatham Strait
Chatham Strait

Chatham Strait is a narrow passage of the Alexander Archipelago in the Alaska Panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It separates Chichagof Island and Baranof Island to its west from Admiralty Island and Kuiu Island on its east....
 in the south-east, where a regular commercial fishery occurs annually.It should be noted they occur in deeper water than the red king crab, often in depths exceeding 300 fathoms (1800 feet).

Lithodes couesi
The scarlet king crab, Lithodes couesi, is not often fished due to its small size and insufficient population to support commercial harvesting.

Lithodes maja
Lithodes maja occurs in the North Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions; with a total area of about 106.4 million square kilometres . It covers approximately one-fifth of the Earth's surface....
, including Northern Europe
Northern Europe

Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. The United Nations defines Northern Europe as including the following countries and dependent regions:...
 and Canada's
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 east coast. It is not abundant enough to support commercial fishery, and is becoming rare in some areas.

Oedignathus

Oedignathus inermis, the only species in the genus Oedignathus, is found on the west coast of North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 and separately around the coasts of Japan
Japan

Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south....
. Its claws and walking legs are covered in numerous tubercle
Tubercle

A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, but it has slightly different meaning depending on which family of plants or animals it is used to refer to....
s rather than seta
Seta

Seta is a biology term derived from the Latin word for "bristle". It refers to a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms....
e or spines, which distinguishes it from other genera.

Paralithodes


Paralithodes camtschaticus
The red king crab, Paralithodes camtschaticus, is a very large species, sometimes reaching a carapace width of 11 in (28 cm) and a leg span of 6 ft (1.83 m). Its natural range is the Bering Sea
Bering Sea

The Bering Sea is a body of water in the Pacific Ocean that comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelf....
, between the Aleutian Islands
Aleutian Islands

The Aleutian Islands are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands forming a volcanic arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, occupying an area of 6,821 sq mi and extending about 1,200 mi westward from the Alaska Peninsula toward the Kamchatka Peninsula....
 and St. Lawrence Island
St. Lawrence Island

St. Lawrence Island is located west of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea, just south of the Bering Strait, at about 63?30' North 173?20' West. It is part of Alaska, but closer to Russia than to the Alaskan mainland....
. It can now also be found in the Barents Sea
Barents Sea

The Barents Sea is a part of the Arctic Ocean located north of Norway and Russia. It is a rather deep Continental shelf sea , bordered by the shelf edge towards the Norwegian Sea in the west, the island of Svalbard in the northwest, and the islands of Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya in the northeast and east....
 and the European Arctic
Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic North Pole region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions....
, where it was intentionally introduced and is now becoming a pest.

Paralithodes platypus
The blue king crab, Paralithodes platypus, lives near St. Matthew Island
St. Matthew Island

St. Matthew Island is an uninhabited island in the Bering Sea in Alaska, 295 km WNW of Nunivak Island. The island has a land area of 137.857 square mile , making it the List of islands of the United States by area....
 and the Pribilof Islands
Pribilof Islands

The Pribilof Islands are a group of four volcanic islands, part of the United States state of Alaska, lying in the Bering Sea, about 200 miles north of Unalaska, Alaska and 200 miles south of , the nearest point on the North American mainland....
, Alaska, and is the largest of all the king crabs, sometimes exceeding 18 lb
Pound (mass)

The pound or pound-mass is a Units of measurement of massused in the Imperial unit, United States customary units and other systems of measurement....
 (8 kg
Kilogram

The kilogram or kilogrammeThe spelling kilogram is used by the International Committee for Weights and Measures and the U.S....
) in weight. The blue king crab is often sold as the coveted red king crab because it resembles and tastes similar to red king crab when cooked. Both the St. Matthew and Pribilof blue king crab stocks are classified as overfished
Overfishing

Overfishing occurs when fishing activities reduce fish stocks below an acceptable level. This can occur in any body of water from a pond to the oceans....
 and no longer support commercial fisheries.

See also

  • Alaskan king crab fishing
    Alaskan king crab fishing

    Alaskan king crab fishing is carried out during the winter months in the waters off the coast of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands. The commercial harvest is performed during a very short season, and the catch is shipped worldwide....
  • Deadliest Catch
    Deadliest Catch

    Deadliest Catch is a Documentary film television series produced by Original Productions of Burbank, California for the Discovery Channel that documents the events aboard Fishing vessel in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and Chionoecetes crab fishing seasons....