Cryptolithodes expansus

Cryptolithodes expansus (Japanese: メンコガニ)^[2] is a species of king crab native to the Korean coast and Japan. They live in the sublittoral zone to a depth of approximately 5–66 metres (16–217 ft).^[2][3] Adults measure approximately 50 mm (2.0 in) wide and 80 mm (3.1 in) long and have a rostrum of about 10 mm (0.39 in).^[4]

Cryptolithodes expansus
Outline of C. expansus by Rathbun
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Lithodidae
Genus:	Cryptolithodes
Species:	C. expansus
Binomial name
Cryptolithodes expansus Miers, 1879[1]

Distribution and habitat

Cryptolithodes expansus can be found in both the western and eastern Pacific Ocean. In the west, it can be found along the Japanese and Korean coasts,^[3][5] and in the east, it can be found as far south as British Columbia.^[6] In Japan, it is distributed from Rishiri Island to Nanao Bay on the Sea of Japan coast and from Yūbetsu to Iwaki on the Pacific coast.^[2]

See also

• Cryptolithodes typicus
• Cryptolithodes sitchensis