Portunidae is a family of

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

s which contains the swimming crabs.

Description

Portunid crabs are characterised by the flattening of the fifth pair of legs into broad paddles, which are used for swimming. This ability, together with their strong, sharp claws, allows many species to be fast and aggressive predators.

Examples

Its members include many well-known shoreline crabs, such as the European shore crab ('' Carcinus maenas''), blue crab ('' Callinectes sapidus''), and velvet crab ('' Necora puber''). Two genera in the family are contrastingly named ''

Scylla In Greek mythology, Scylla), is obsolete. ( ; grc-gre, Σκύλλα, Skúlla, ) is a legendary monster who lives on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite her counterpart Charybdis. The two sides of the strait are within an arrow's r ...

'' and ''

Charybdis Charybdis (; grc, Χάρυβδις, Khárybdis, ; la, Charybdis, ) is a sea monster in Greek mythology. She, with the sea monster Scylla, appears as a challenge to epic characters such as Odysseus, Jason, and Aeneas. Scholarship locates her in t ...

''; the former contains the economically important species black crab ('' Scylla serrata'') and '' Scylla paramamosain''.

Taxonomy

The circumscription of the family varies, with some authors treating "Carcinidae", "Catoptridae" and "Macropipidae" as separate families, and others considering them subfamilies of a wider Portunidae. Swimming crabs reach their greatest species diversity in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

Extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...

genera are marked with an obelisk. ;Caphyrinae Guérin, 1832 *'' Caphyra'' Guérin, 1832 *'' Coelocarcinus'' Edmondson, 1930 *''

Lissocarcinus ''Lissocarcinus'' is a genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and ...

'' Adams & White, 1849 *'' Mioxaiva'' † Müller, 1978 ;Carcininae MacLeay, 1838 *''

Carcinus ''Carcinus'' ( '' Karkinos'') is a genus of crabs, which includes ''Carcinus maenas'', an important invasive species, and '' C. aestuarii'', a species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. ''Carcinus maenas'' ''C. maenas'' is among the 100 "worl ...

'' Leach, 1814 *'' Cicarnus'' † Karasawa & Fudouji, 2000 *'' Miopipus'' † Müller, 1984 *'' Portumnus'' Leach, 1814 *'' Xaiva'' MacLeay, 1838 ;Carupinae Paul’son, 1875 *'' Carupa'' Dana, 1851 *'' Catoptrus'' A. Milne-Edwards, 1870 *''

Libystes ''Libystes'' is a genus of crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely und ...

'' A. Milne-Edwards, 1867 *'' Neptocarcinus'' † Lőrenthey, 1898 *'' Rakosia'' † Müller, 1984 *'' Richerellus'' Manning & Felder, 1989 ;Podophthalminae Dana, 1851 *'' Euphylax'' Stimpson, 1860 *'' Podophthalmus'' Lamarck, 1801 *'' Psygmophthalmus'' † Schweitzer, Iturralde-Vinent, Hetler & Velez-Juarbe, 2006 *'' Sandomingia'' † Rathbun, 1919 *'' Saratunus'' † Collins, Lee & Noad, 2003 *'' Viaophthalmus'' † Karasawa, Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2008 ;Polybiinae Ortmann, 1893 *'' Bathynectes'' Stimpson, 1871 *'' Benthochascon'' Alcock & Anderson, 1899 *'' Boschettia'' † Busulini, Tessier, Beschin & De Angeli, 2003 *'' Brusinia'' Števčić, 1991 *'' Coenophthalmus'' A. Milne-Edwards, 1879 *'' Falsiportunites'' † Collins & Jakobsen, 2003 *'' Gecchelicarcinus'' † Beschin, Busulini, De Angeli & Tessier, 2007 *''

Liocarcinus ''Liocarcinus'' is a genus of crabs, which includes the Liocarcinus holsatus, flying crab, the Liocarcinus vernalis, vernal crab and several other swimming crabs. Species It includes 12 species : Fossils * ''†Liocarcinus atropatanus'' ...

'' Stimpson, 1871 *'' Macropipus'' Prestandrea, 1833 *'' Maeandricampus'' † Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2002 *'' Megokkos'' † Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2000 *'' Minohellenus'' † Karasawa, 1990 *'' Necora'' Holthuis, 1987 *'' Ophthalmoplax'' † Rathbun, 1935 *''

Parathranites ''Parathranites'' is a genus of crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirel ...

'' Miers, 1886 *'' Pleolobites'' † Remy, 1960 *''

Polybius Polybius (; grc-gre, Πολύβιος, ; ) was a Greek historian of the Hellenistic period. He is noted for his work , which covered the period of 264–146 BC and the Punic Wars in detail. Polybius is important for his analysis of the mixed ...

'' Leach, 1820 *'' Pororaria'' † Glaessner, 1980 *'' Portufuria'' † Collins, Schulz & Jakobsen, 2005 *'' Portunites'' † Bell, 1858 *'' Proterocarcinus'' † Feldmann, Casadío, Chirino-Gálvez & Aguirre-Urreta, 1995 *'' Raymanninus'' Ng, 2000 *'' Rhachiosoma'' † Woodward, 1871 ;Portuninae Rafinesque, 1815 *'' Acanthoportunus'' † Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2002 *''

Arenaeus ''Arenaeus'' is a genus of swimming crabs in the family Portunidae. There are at least two described species in ''Arenaeus''. Species These two species belong to the genus ''Arenaeus'': * '' Arenaeus cribrarius'' (Lamarck, 1818) (speckled swim ...

'' Dana, 1851 *'' Atoportunus'' Ng & Takeda, 2003 *''

Callinectes ''Callinectes'' is a genus of crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely ...

'' Stimpson, 1860 *'' Carupella'' Lenz ''in'' Lenz & Strunck, 1914 *'' Colneptunus'' † Lőrenthey ''in'' Lőrenthey & Beurlen, 1929 *''

Cronius ''Cronius'' is a genus of crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely un ...

'' Stimpson, 1860 *'' Euronectes'' † Karasawa, Schweitzer & Feldmann, 2008 *'' Laleonectes'' Manning & Chace, 1990 *'' Lupella'' Rathbun, 1897 *''

Lupocyclus ''Lupocyclus'' is a genus of crabs, containing six species: *''Lupocyclus inaequalis'' (Walker, 1887) *''Lupocyclus mauriciensis'' Ward, 1942 *''Lupocyclus philippinensis'' Semper, 1880 (scissor swimming crab) *''Lupocyclus quinquedentatus'' Rath ...

'' Adams & White, 1849 *'' Necronectes'' † A. Milne-Edwards, 1881 *''

Portunus ''Portunus'' is a genus of crab which includes several important species for fisheries, such as the blue swimming crab, ''Portunus pelagicus'' and the Gazami crab, '' P. trituberculatus''. Other species, such as the three-spotted crab ('' P ...

'' Weber, 1795 *'' Pseudoachelous'' † Portell & Collins, 2004 *''

Rathbunella ''Rathbunella'' is a genus of marine ray-finned fishes belonging to the Family (biology), family Bathymasteridae, the ronquils. These fishes are found in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Taxonomy ''Rathbunella'' was first proposed as a Monotypic taxon ...

'' † Collins ''in'' Collins, Portell & Donovan, 2009 *'' Sanquerus'' Manning, 1989 *''

'' De Haan, 1833 ;Thalamitinae Paul’son, 1875 *''

'' De Haan, 1833 *'' Eocharybdis'' † Beschin, Busulini, De Angeli & Tessier, 2002 *'' Gonioinfradens'' Leene, 1938 *'' Thalamita'' Latreille, 1829 *'' Thalamitoides'' A. Milne-Edwards, 1869 ;'' incertae sedis'' *'' Enoplonotus'' † A. Milne-Edwards, 1860 *''

Neptunus Neptunus is a baseball and softball club in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Following its 2014 championship season, the club signed a sponsorship contract for the 2015, 2016 and 2017 seasons with Curaçao and competes under the name Curaçao Neptun ...

'' † de Haan 1839

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Portunoidea Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque Decapod families