''Moreiradromia antillensis'' is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of decapods in the family sponge crab. This species lives in the Western and central Atlantic Ocean.

Description

The

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

is brownish-gray and has short hairs along its body. The tips of its claws are bright red and whitish. The crab covers itself at the dorsal region with fragments of

sea squirts Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians, tunicates (in part), and sea squirts (in part), is a polyphyletic class (biology), class in the subphylum Tunicate, Tunicata of sac-like marine (ocean), marine invertebrate filter feeders. Ascidians ar ...

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of '' Rhodophyta'' (red), ''Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

, tunicates, and

sponges Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through ...

, earning them the popular name of "hairy sponge crabs" or "decorator crabs". The crab consciously camouflaging itself from predators, the sponge crab uses their claws to carve up the tunicate or sponge as its shelter and cover.

Distribution

Ranging from the intertidal region to deeper waters (500m), they can be found from the Western Atlantic from

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = " Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , e ...

and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

; central Atlantic from Ascension and St. Helena Islands.

Ecology

These crabs use drag powered swimmin
drag powered swimming
to move around. They typically hide during the day, and foraging at night. They have special

setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

on their claws that enable easier grasp and motion. They are scavengers, and eat dead plants and animals it may come across. They also often have

symbiotic Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

, mutualistic relationships with other organisms. For instance, species like sea anemones may be capable to sting, so this provides more protection for the crabs from potential predators. Males can grow up to 20.9 mm, while juveniles are around 7.9 mm.

Bibliography

* Almeida, Alexandre O., et al. "Shallow-water anomuran and brachyuran crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda) from southern Bahia, Brazil/Cangrejos anomuros y braquiuros (Crustacea: Decapoda) de aguas someras del sur de Bahia, Brasil." ''Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research'', vol. 38, no. 3, Nov. 2010, pp. 329+. ''Gale Academic OneFile'', link.gale.com/apps/doc/A305746417/AONE?u=mlin_b_bumml&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=724855ef. Accessed 19 Mar. 2022. * Silva, K. C., et al. “Update on Crustaceans Known from the Amazonian Continental Shelf and Adjacent Oceanic Areas.” ''Crustaceana'', vol. 93, no. 7, 2020, pp. 687–701., https://doi.org/10.1163/15685403-bja10062.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13862343 Dromiacea Crustaceans described in 1858