Pirimela

Pirimela is a genus of crab containing a single species, Pirimela denticulata.

Pirimela
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Brachyura
Family:	Carcinidae
Genus:	Pirimela Leach, 1816
Species:	P. denticulata
Binomial name
Pirimela denticulata (Montagu, 1808)
Synonyms [1]
Cancer denticulata Montagu, 1808 Pirimela princeps Hope, 1851

Description

Pirimela denticulata is a "small, pretty crab",^[2] up to 12 mm (0.5 in) long and 15 mm (0.6 in) across the carapace.^[3] Its colouring is mostly green, with mottling of brown, purple or red.^[2] The front edge of the carapace has three teeth between the eyes, two teeth around the orbits of the eyes and five teeth along either side.^[2]

Distribution and ecology

Pirimela denticulata is found from the British Isles to Mauritania, the Mediterranean Sea, the Canary Islands, the Cape Verde Islands, and the Azores.^[4] It lives in burrows in sandy sediments, or on underwater vegetation, at depths of up to 250 m (820 ft).^[4]

Taxonomy

Pirimela denticulata was first described by George Montagu in 1808, under the name Cancer denticulata.^[5] It was later transferred by William Elford Leach to his new genus Pirimela, which contains only P. denticulata.^[6] A second species of Pirimela, P. princeps, is now considered to be synonymous with P. denticulata.^[1]