Polybius henslowii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Polybiidae
Genus: Polybius
Leach, 1820
Species:
P. henslowii
Binomial name
Polybius henslowii
Leach, 1820

Polybius henslowii is a species of crab, the only species in the genus Polybius. It is a capable swimmer and feeds in open water in the north-east Atlantic Ocean and western Mediterranean Sea.

Description

The carapace of P. henslowii is almost circular, 48 millimetres (1.9 in) wide and 40 mm (1.6 in) long. The first pair of pereiopods (walking legs) carry claws, and the remaining four pairs are flattened with fringed edges.[1] This contrasts with other members of the family Portunidae, which have only the last pair of legs adapted for swimming.[2] P. henslowii is red-brown on the upper surface, and paler beneath.[1]

Distribution

Polybius is found in the north-east Atlantic Ocean from the British Isles to Morocco, and in the western Mediterranean Sea. Very abundant swarms have been found along the coasts off Galicia (Spain)[3] and off Portugal.[4] Rare specimens have been caught in the North Sea east of Shetland, and in the Skagerrak.[1] Its range has expanded into the southern North Sea, possibly as a result of climate change.[5] It can be found on sandy or gravelly sediments at depths of up to 500 metres (1,600 ft).[2]

Ecology and behaviour

Polybius henslowii is a capable swimmer, and can be found swimming near the ocean surface, where it feeds on a mixture of squid, fish, and other crustaceans, including specimens of the same species.[6] Indeed, P. henslowii has been observed to form pelagic swarms. These swarms are mostly composed of females, excluding that aggregations are for mating, while they might be related to feeding.[6] When they swim inshore, along the coastal upwelling areas of Galicia (NW Spain), they rely more on benthic prey, such as polychaetes and detritus [6] and are influenced by terrestrial organic matter coming from the rivers.[7]

In Galicia (NW Spain), P. henslowii is an important food source for the yellow-legged gull, Larus michahellis.[8] In summer, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) off North Africa feed almost exclusively on P. henslowii.[9]

Taxonomy

Polybius henslowii was first described by William Elford Leach in 1820, as the only species in his new genus Polybius.[10] Although a number of other species were added to the genus over time, they have all since been split off into new genera such as Liocarcinus, Necora and Macropipus.[10] The genus name "Polybius" may be in reference to the Greek historian Polybius; the specific epithet henslowii honours John Stevens Henslow, Professor of Botany at Cambridge University,[11] who had collected the specimens used by Leach from a herring fisherman in North Devon in 1817.[12] This was the first of several species that were named in Henslow's honour.[12] Common names for the species include "sardine swimming crab"[11] and "Henslow's swimming crab".[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Polybius henslowii". Zooplankton and Micronekton of the North Sea. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Andrew Hosie (2009). "Polybius henslowii. Henslow's swimming crab". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on November 3, 2013. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  3. ↑ A. C. Farina; J. Freire; E. Gonzàlez-Gurriaràn (1997). "Megabenthic decapod crustacean assemblages on the Galician continental shelf and upper slope (north-west Spain)". Marine Biology. 127 (3): 419–434. doi:10.1007/s002270050029. hdl:2183/81. S2CID 73665288.
  4. ↑ P. Sousa; M. Azevedo; M.C. Gomes (2005). "Demersal assemblages off Portugal: Mapping, seasonal, and temporal patterns". Fisheries Research. 75 (1–3): 120–137. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2005.03.012.
  5. ↑ J. A. Lindley; G. Beaugrand; C. Luczak; J.-M. Dewarumez; R. R. Kirby (2010). "Warm-water decapods and the trophic amplification of climate in the North Sea". Biology Letters. 6 (6): 773–776. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0394. PMC 3001376. PMID 20554562.
  6. 1 2 3 Signa, G; Cartes, J E; Solé, M; Serrano, A; Sànchez, F (2008). "Trophic ecology of the swimming crab Polybius henslowii Leach, 1820 in Galician and Cantabrian Seas: Influences of natural variability and the Prestige oil spill". Continental Shelf Research. 28 (19): 2659–2667. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2008.08.008.
  7. ↑ Vinagre, C; Máguas, C; Cabral, H. N.; Costa, M. J. (2012). "Food web structure of the coastal area adjacent to the Tagus estuary revealed by stable isotope analysis". Journal of Sea Research. 67: 21–26. doi:10.1016/j.seares.2011.09.003.
  8. 1 2 Ignacio Munilla (1997). "Henslow's swimming crab (Polybius henslowii) as an important food for yellow-legged gulls (Larus cachinnans) in NW Spain". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 54 (4): 631–634. doi:10.1006/jmsc.1997.0249.
  9. ↑ O. Ocaña, A. G. de los Rios y los Huertos & A. Brito (2005). "The crab Polybius henslowii (Decapoda: Brachyura) as a main resource in the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) diet from North Africa". Revista de la Academia Canaria de Ciencias. 17 (4): 103–116.
  10. 1 2 Peter Davie & Michael Türkay (2012). "Polybius". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  11. 1 2 R. W. Ingle (1997). Crayfishes, Lobsters, and Crabs of Europe: an Illustrated Guide to Common and Traded Species. Springer. p. 140. ISBN 978-0-412-71060-5.
  12. 1 2 Stuart Max Walters, Max Walters & Elizabeth Anne Stow (2001). "Appendix 4. Eponymous taxa". Darwin's Mentor: John Stevens Henslow, 1796–1861. Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–288. ISBN 978-0-521-59146-1.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.