• Source: Neolithodes brodiei

Neolithodes brodiei, also known as Brodie's king crab, is a species of king crab which is native to New Zealand and its adjacent waters. It lives at a depth of 500–1,240 metres (1,640–4,070 ft) but is typically found within a depth of 950–1,150 metres (3,120–3,770 ft). It is the most widespread and common lithodid in New Zealand waters, and the New Zealand Department of Conservation classifies it as "Not Threatened".




Appearance


N. brodiei is deep-red in colour and has numerous small spinules on its pereiopods and carapace as well as major spines scattered throughout its dorsal surface. They have a pyriform carapace having been measured as large as 188 mm (7.4 in) in length and 161.6 mm (6.36 in) in width, making them the second largest lithodids known from New Zealand after Lithodes aotearoa.




Area and misidentifications


N. brodiei lacks a known presence beyond depths of about 1,200 m (3,900 ft), meaning its distribution is likely bounded by the extent of the continental slope around New Zealand. It has allegedly been found in the Haima cold seeps in the northwestern South China Sea at depths of approximately 1,300–1,400 metres (4,300–4,600 ft), but it may only occasionally visit the ecosystem.
In 2001, a paper was published in Zoosystema which claimed to have found a specimen of N. brodiei in Vanuatu; however, this was later determined to be a yet-undescribed species. Likewise, a 2005 paper in Polar Biology claimed to have found four specimens off the Balleny Islands in the Southern Ocean, but these were misidentified and were later determined to be a new species called Neolithodes yaldwyni. It was also thought to occur in the Tasman Sea, but this was also determined to be a new species called Neolithodes flindersi.




Etymology


"Neolithodes" is derived from Greek and Latin and means "new stone-crab", while "brodiei" takes its namesake from J. W. Brodie, then-Director of the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute.




See also



List of crabs of New Zealand




References






External links


Media related to Neolithodes brodiei at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Neolithodes brodiei at Wikispecies

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Neolithodes brodiei
• Neolithodes
• King crab
• Neolithodes yaldwyni
• Neolithodes duhameli
• Neolithodes flindersi
• Neolithodes indicus
• Neolithodes nipponensis
• Lithodes aotearoa
• Neolithodes diomedeae