Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know

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Did you know...

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/1

Palaemon serratus (Decapoda: Palaemonidae)

... that Palaemon serratus (pictured) is the British Isles' largest native shrimp?
... that Thalassina anomala, a mud lobster found in Indo-Pacific mangrove swamps, is used in Thailand in powdered form or steeped in alcohol as a remedy for asthma?
... that Poli's stellate barnacle is hermaphroditic and has a penis significantly longer than its body?
... that Callianassa subterranea is a burrowing mud shrimp that ingests sediment particles and digests their organic coating?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/2

Pestarella tyrrhena (Decapoda: Callianassidae)

... that the mud shrimp Pestarella tyrrhena (pictured) has been used as bait by fishermen for over 200 years?
... that Squilla mantis is the only native stomatopod to be fished for on a commercial scale in the Mediterranean Sea?
... that the endangered Syncaris pacifica uses variable translucency and color changing crypsis for underwater camouflage?
... that the slipper lobster Scyllarus arctus is less common around Great Britain than the giant squid Architeuthis dux?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/3

Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Armadillidiidae)

... that 35 species of woodlice (Armadillidium vulgare pictured) are native to the British Isles ?
... that Speleonectes atlantida, an eyeless remipede discovered in 2009, is equipped with powerful prehensile limbs and poisonous fangs that function as hypodermic needles?
... that if the beak-like rostrum on Caridina gracilirostris is broken off, it will grow back?
... that George the lobster was estimated to be 140 years old?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/4

Pollicipes pollicipes (Cirripedia: Pollicipedidae)

... that Pollicipes pollicipes (pictured), a goose barnacle found on rocky shores in the north-east Atlantic Ocean, is a delicacy in Spain where it may fetch up to €90 per kilogram?
... that beta males of Paracerceis sculpta mimic females and gamma males mimic juveniles, allowing them to mate without the alpha males realising?
... that Branchinecta lynchi, a vulnerable species of fairy shrimp, can be found in vernal pools around Agate Lake?
... that sea lice flourishing on salmon farms can spread to nearby wild salmon and devastate their stocks?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/5

Dosima fascicularis (Cirripedia: Lepadidae)

... that the floating barnacle Dosima fascicularis (pictured) sometimes grows on turtles and even sea snakes?
... that although their larvae have been known since 1887, the adults of the crustacean group Facetotecta have never been seen?
... that a colony of the crab species Potamon fluviatile may have lived in Rome since before the Romans?
... that the deep-sea decapod Kiwa hirsuta discovered in 2005 was dubbed the yeti crab by its discoverers on account of its hairy appearance?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/6

... that old Atlantic ghost crabs may dig burrows in the sand (pictured) up to 400 metres from the sea?
... that Percnon gibbesi is the most invasive decapod species ever to enter the Mediterranean Sea?
... that an inch-long bristly crab can carry 4000 eggs?
... that the krill species Euphausia crystallorophias was first described from specimens caught from a hole bored during Robert Falcon Scott's Discovery expedition?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/7

Scyllarides latus (Decapoda: Scyllaridae) by Cornelius Sittardus

... that all that remains of the type specimen of the Mediterranean slipper lobster is a 16th century watercolour (pictured)?
... that the blind crustacean Polycheles typhlops preys on fish and on other crustaceans, probably acting as an ambush predator?
... that Edward J. Miers was paid 60 guineas for his monograph on the crabs of the Challenger expedition?
... that the genus Platythelphusa represents the only evolutionary radiation of crabs to have occurred in a freshwater lake?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/8

Astacoides madagascarensis (Decapoda: Parastacidae) by Thomas H. Huxley

... that crayfish of the Madagascan genus Astacoides (pictured) have fewer gills than any other crayfish?
... that Yongjiacaris represents the second report of freshwater caridean shrimp from the Mesozoic era?
... that the bioluminescent ostracod Vargula hilgendorfii, named after Franz Hilgendorf, was used as a light source by Japanese soldiers in World War II?
... that the "extremely productive carcinologist" American Raymond B. Manning amassed the world's largest collection of mantis shrimp?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/9

Leptodori kindtii (Cladocera: Leptodoridae)

... that Leptodora (pictured) is the largest planktonic cladoceran, and its type species is probably the only cladoceran to have been described in a newspaper?
... that the woodlouse Trichoniscus pusillus has some populations that reproduce sexually and others that reproduce clonally?
... that Hemimysis anomala, a mysid shrimp native to the Ponto-Caspian region, has recently invaded the North American Great Lakes?
... that the New Zealand endemic amphipod Paraleptamphopus caeruleus lives in "bog-water on top of Swampy Hill"?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/10

Batyhnomus giganteus (Isopoda: Cirolanidae)

... that giant isopods (pictured), which live in the depths of the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, can grow up to 45 centimetres long?
... that until 2001, the Ohio River shrimp had not been seen in the Ohio River for 50 years?
... that the semaphore crab is the most abundant crab species in mangroves on Australia's east coast?
... that Japan and Poland are the world's largest krill fishing nations since Russia abandoned its operations in 1993?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/11

... that Poecilostomatoida (Oncaea venusta pictured) are parasitic copepods?
... that the estuarine, burrow-dwelling ghost shrimp Neotrypaea californiensis is used as bait, but is sometimes attacked with insecticides because it damages Pacific oyster farms?
... that the Pentastomida are parasitic invertebrates commonly known as tongue worms because of their resemblance to vertebrate tongues?
... that the barnacle Megabalanus can reach 7 cm in length?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/12

Zoea larva of Carcinus maenas (Decapoda: Carcinidae)

... that the zoea larvae of crabs have long rostral and dorsal spines (pictured)?
... that the spiny lobster Panulirus homarus is one of the main prey items for the Cape clawless otter?
... that the carcinologist Robert Gurney was not connected to a university, and carried out his scientific work at home?
... that cherry-sized soldier crabs of the species Mictyris longicarpus have been described as "cheerful bohemians"?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/13

Dardanus pedunculatus (Decapoda: Diogenidae) with Calliactis sp. anemones

... that the shrimp Periclimenes dardanicola lives on sea anemones on the shell of the hermit crab Dardanus pedunculatus (pictured), in one of the few associations between two decapods?
... that Canada's Federated Co-operatives partnered with SeaChoice to promote sustainable seafood, like the spiny lobster, through its co-operatives?
... that sponge crabs of the species Dromia dormia carry sponges on their back as camouflage, and have even used the sole of a shoe for that purpose?
... that the fairy shrimp Branchinecta gaini is the largest freshwater invertebrate in Antarctica?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/14

Lepidophthalmus turneranus (Decapoda: Callianassidae)

... that Cameroon is named after the ghost shrimp Lepidophthalmus turneranus (pictured) which Portuguese settlers observed swarming in the Wouri River in the 15th century?
... that the porcelain crab Pisidia longicornis is sometimes found among mussels and oysters in European fish markets?
... that the meat of the slipper lobster Ibacus peronii is considered inferior to that of the Moreton Bay bug because it sometimes tastes of garlic?
... that Tanymastix stagnalis is the only species of fairy shrimp to occur in Ireland?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/15

Hemilepistus reaumuri (Isopoda: Agnaridae)

... that the woodlouse Hemilepistus reaumuri can only survive in the desert (pictured) because it looks after its young?
... that the Reverend Thomas Roscoe Rede Stebbing, who became a strong supporter of Darwinism, was ordained by Samuel Wilberforce, Bishop of Oxford, one of its greatest opponents?
... that Chirocephalus diaphanus is the only species of fairy shrimp to occur in Great Britain?
... that the slipper lobster Scyllarus pygmaeus is too small for fishing?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/16

Hyalella azteca (Amphipoda: Dogielinotidae)

... that Hyalella azteca (pictured) is the most abundant amphipod in North American lakes?
... that a species of crab, Tumidotheres maculatus, has been found living on an asteroid?
... that Dinochelus ausubeli, a deepwater lobster discovered during the Census of Marine Life expedition, was named in honour of its sponsor, Jesse H. Ausubel?
... that the invasive crayfish Orconectes immunis can outcompete the earlier invader O. limosus?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/17

Chionoecetes bairdi (Decapoda: Oregoniidae)

... that the annual catch of Bering Sea tanner crab (pictured) was as much as 332,000,000 pounds (151,000,000 kg), before a population crash due to overfishing?
... that a Halloween hermit crab may attack a snail in order to take its shell?
... that killer shrimp have invaded Western Europe and could soon invade North America?
... that until 1962, a salt-water crab lived in the Texas Panhandle, 500 miles from the sea?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/18

Conglobated Armadillidium vulgare (Isopoda: Armadillidiidae)

... that the pill bug Armadillidium vulgare (pictured) can reach population densities of 10,000 per square metre?
... that the extinct crab Metacarcinus starri from Washington state is related to the graceful rock crab?
... that the extinct prawn Aciculopoda, described in 2010, is the third unambiguous fossil decapod from before the Mesozoic?
... that Mary J. Rathbun described over 1000 new crustacean taxa, but never attended college, and received a Ph.D. only after she retired?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/19

Dardanus calidus (Decapoda: Diogenidae) and Calliactis parasitica (Cnidaria: Actiniaria)

... that the mutualism between hermit crabs and the sea anemone Calliactis parasitica (pictured) may require the presence of an octopus?
... that Hemioniscus balani is called a "parasitic castrator" although its barnacle host remains a functioning male because the barnacle can no longer also function as a female?
... that mass strandings of the squat lobster Pleuroncodes planipes occur in California during El Niño years?
... that Leach's spider crab lives with the snakelocks anemone, eats the anemone's food and mucus and is protected from predators by the anemone's stings?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/20

Lernaeocera branchialis (Copepoda: Pennellidae)

... that the young Lernaeocera branchialis (pictured) is an ectoparasite on the gills of a flounder or lumpsucker, and it moves on to cod or related fishes after it has matured and mated?
... that the coral reef crab Zosimus aeneus contains deadly poisonous neurotoxins?
... that the California Bay pea crab is one of only two marine crustaceans to be included on the IUCN Red List of endangered species?
... that Myotis vivesi is a species of bat that hunts marine fish and crustaceans?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/21

Goneplax rhomboides (Decapoda: Goneplacidae)

... that symbiotic moss animals live on setae on the antennae, mouthparts and legs of the crab Goneplax rhomboides (pictured)?
... that Geograpsus severnsi is the first crab species known to have become extinct in historical times?
... that cycloids are believed to have been driven to extinction when crabs spread across their territory?
... that the fairy shrimp Branchinecta brushi lives at 5,930 m (19,460 ft) in the Chilean Andes, higher than any other crustacean in the world?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/22

A hermit crab in a brown snail shell, on a seaweed-covered rock — Pagurus samuelis (Malacostraca: Decapoda: Paguridae)

... that, during the breeding season, the male blueband hermit crab (pictured) carries the female around for up to a day?
... that Aenigmastacus, a fossil crayfish from Canada, belongs to a family only otherwise known from the Southern Hemisphere?
... that the New Zealand lobster was incorporated into the country's Quota Management System after a parliamentary corruption scandal?
... that Balanus perforatus is a barnacle shaped like a volcano?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/23

... that although the Pacific sand crab can only crawl and burrow backwards (pictured), it can also tread water?
... that Praunus flexuosus, the first mysid shrimp ever to be described, may have been transported to North America during World War II?
... that Calcinus tubularis is one of only two known species of hermit crab whose males and females inhabit different types of shell?
... that Petrolisthes eriomerus, when trying to escape from a predator, can cast off limbs as a diversion, with the claws of a cast limb still gripping vigorously after separation?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/24

... that, despite its name, the freshwater crab Potamon ibericum (pictured) does not live in Iberia?
... that when the sea anemone Adamsia palliata grows on the exterior of a gastropod shell, it is capable of enlarging the shell to better accommodate the hermit crab Pagurus prideaux inside?
... that Jurellana tithonia, dating from the Jurassic, is the earliest known porcelain crab?
... that several pelagic gooseneck barnacles were once found attached to an American crocodile?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/25

An orange-red lobster-like animal with no claws, seen from the side. — Neoglyphea inopinata (Crustacea: Decapoda: Glypheidae)

... that until the discovery in 1975 of the "living fossil" Neoglyphea inopinata (pictured), glypheoid crustaceans were thought to have been extinct since the Eocene?
... that the goose barnacle Lepas anserifera is found attached to driftwood, flotsam and even whales?
... that the spiny lobster Jasus caveorum lives only on one of the Foundation Seamounts in the southern Pacific Ocean?
... that the Cape Verdean spiny lobster Palinurus charlestoni is named after a French fishing boat?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/26

Several large goose barnacles, covered in large white scale-like plates. — Pollicipes polymerus (Crustacea: Cirripedia: Pollicipedidae)

... that the gooseneck barnacle Pollicipes polymerus (several pictured) will become sterile if there are no others within 20 cm (8 in)?
... that the clawless lobster Tricarina is known from a single fossil, obtained from an oil well 3,852 m (12,638 ft) below ground in western Iran?
... that Japanese skeleton shrimp are invading the coastlines of North America, Europe, and New Zealand?
... that swarms of Japanese soldier crabs of the species Mictyris guinotae, named after French biologist Danièle Guinot, can be used in place of the billiard balls in billiard-ball computers?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/27

A collection of large, empty barnacle shells. — Empty shells of Meganalanus tintinnabulum

... that the barnacle Megabalanus tintinnabulum (empty shells pictured) travelled from the tropics to the Netherlands by ship in 1764 and reached Western Australia in 1949?
... that Polybius henslowii has more swimming legs than other swimming crabs?
... that the boxer crabs Lybia tessellata and Lybia edmondsoni carry a sea anemone such as Triactis producta in each claw for protection from predators?
... that carcinologist Isabel Pérez Farfante and her family were blacklisted by the Cuban government because her husband refused to travel with Che Guevara?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/28

A small crab on a human hand. — Dyspanopeus sayi (Crustacea: Decapoda: Panopeidae)

... that the crab Dyspanopeus sayi (pictured) may have lived in the Venetian Lagoon for 15 years before it was discovered?
... that the long-nosed spider crab, Libinia dubia, disguises itself by sticking bits of unpalatable seaweed and invertebrates on its carapace?
... that colour markings, considered rare among fossil crabs, have been found on Avitelmessus?
... that the sea anemone Calliactis tricolor is often attached to shells occupied by the hermit crabs Dardanus venosus and Clibanarius vittatus?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/29

A medium-sized crab, with claws outstretched, with a yellow body, grading to black in the centre of the carapace. — Guinotia dentata (Decapoda: Pseudothelphusidae)

... that the freshwater crab Guinotia dentata (pictured) prefers shady rivers to sunny ones?
... that a young spider crab, Libinia ferreirae, often lives inside the bell of the jellyfish Lychnorhiza lucerna?
... that Trachysalambria curvirostris, one of the most important species of fished prawns, is abundant around Australia but is considered too small to be commercial there?
... that despite writing many scientific papers at Yale University and having the time limit waived, the carcinologist Martin Burkenroad never submitted a dissertation?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/30

A yellowish shrimp, with one conspicuously large claw contrasting with its smaller pair. — Alpheus heterochaelis (Decapoda: Alpheidae)

... that the sound produced by Alpheus heterochaelis (pictured) results from the bursting of a cavitation bubble?
... that Gnathia marleyi was named after Bob Marley?
... that the barnacles Balanus eburneus and Balanus improvisus have extended their ranges by fouling the hulls of ships?
... that the shrimp Thor amboinensis is normally found among the tentacles of a sea anemone?

Portal:Crustaceans/Did you know/31

A small spotted crab on a mangrove leaf. — Aratus pisonii (Decapoda: Sesarmidae)

... that the mangrove tree crab, Aratus pisonii (pictured), prefers animal food but mostly feeds on mangrove leaves?
... that the anemone crab Mithraculus cinctimanus often lives in close association with the sea anemone Lebrunia danae?
... that the barnacle Megatrema anglicum lives semi-parasitically on such corals as the Devonshire cup coral?

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