Paralithodes brevipes

Paralithodes brevipes, also called the spiny king crab and sometimes the brown king crab,^[2] is a species of king crab.^[1] In Japan it is known as hanasakigani (ハナサキガニ "flower blossom crab").^[3]

Paralithodes brevipes
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Lithodidae
Genus:	Paralithodes
Species:	P. brevipes
Binomial name
Paralithodes brevipes Milne-Edwards & Lucas[1]

It has a limited distribution in cold, shallow waters as far south as the coast of Hokkaido,^[4] where male-only fishing has damaged the reproductive success of the species,^[5] up to as far north as the southwest Bering Sea.^[6]

They are known to be parasitized by Hematodinium.^[7]

Reproductive behavior

Male P. brevipes guard females prior to copulation, spending less time doing so when females are more numerous.^[8] The reproductive success of the species is heavily sensitive to the ratio of male to female crabs.^[8][5] Because sperm recovery in P. brevipes occurs at a slow rate, males allocate sperm dependent on the size of the female.^[9]

Gallery

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