Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Decapods And People, Red Swamp Crayfish (procambarus Clarkii): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, CONSERVATION STATUS

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Physical Characteristics

Decapods, including crabs, shrimps, lobsters, and crayfishes, are among the most familiar of all crustaceans. They come in a wide variety of sizes, ranging from tiny pea crabs to the giant Japanese spider crab Macrocheira kaempferi with spidery legs spanning up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) across. Many species have distinctive color patterns, and some are able to change their colors. Despite their incr…

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Habitat

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Diet

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Behavior And Reproduction

Decapods show many complicated and even amazing behaviors. For example, Caribbean spiny lobsters form a long row of up to 65 individuals that march single-file toward deeper water. It is not well understood why they do this, although it may have something to do with avoiding storms during the winter. Juvenile red king crabs often gather together into mounds that may contain thousands of individual…

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Decapods And People

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Red Swamp Crayfish (procambarus Clarkii): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: The dark red, nearly black body of the red swamp crayfish measures up to 4.7 inches (120 millimeters). Its pincherlike claws are long and slender, with bright bumps and red tips. Geographic range: Originally from the southern United States and northern Mexico only, this species is now widely established in Europe, Africa, Central and South America, and Southeast Asia. Hab…

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Harlequin Shrimp (hymenocera Picta): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Adult Harlequin shrimp measure about 2 inches (50 millimeters) in length. The claws on the second pair of legs are very large, distinctly flat, and platelike in shape. Both the body and claws have bright purple markings or red blotches on a white or cream-colored background. Geographic range: This species is found along the shores of East Africa, the Red Sea to Indonesia,…

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Red King Crab (paralithodes Camtschaticus): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: Red king crabs are a very large, reddish brown species with a carapace measuring up to 11 inches (280 millimeters) wide. Their legs stretch more than 6 feet (1.8 meters) across. Both the carapace and legs are covered with lots of sharp spines. The right claw is larger than the left. Only three pairs of walking legs are visible. Geographic range: This species lives in the …

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Sand Fiddler Crab (uca Pugilator): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: The carapace of adult sand fiddler crabs are about 1 inch (26 millimeters) wide. The eyestalks are very long and slender. The claws of males are distinctly unequal in size, while those of females are smaller and equal in size. Geographic range: This species is found along the eastern coast of the United States, from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, south to Pensacola, Florida. Ha…

Shrimps Crabs and Lobsters: Decapoda - Giant Tiger Prawn (penaeus Monodon): Species Accounts

Physical characteristics: The dark bodies of adult giant tiger prawn have several distinct black and white bands and reach 13.2 inches (336 millimeters) in length. Geographic range: They are found off the eastern coast of Africa and the Red Sea, east to India, Australia, and Japan. Habitat: Juveniles live near the shore and in mangrove estuaries (EHS-chew-AIR-eez). The adults prefer waters with si…