''Munida quadrispina'' 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 ...

squat lobster Squat lobsters are dorsoventrally flattened crustaceans with long tails held curled beneath the cephalothorax. They are found in the two superfamilies Galatheoidea and Chirostyloidea, which form part of the decapod infraorder Anomura, alongsi ...

. It was originally described to science by James E. Benedict in 1902. This and other species of squat lobsters are sometimes referred to as "pinch bugs".

Description

''Munida quadrispina'' is brick red on its upper, dorsal side, and lighter colored underneath on its ventral side. The claws, chelipeds, are exceptionally long. There are small spines on the chelipeds. There are three pair of thin walking legs. The tail,

telson The telson () is the posterior-most division of the body of an arthropod. Depending on the definition, the telson is either considered to be the final segment of the arthropod body, or an additional division that is not a true segment on accou ...

, and large

uropod Uropods are posterior appendages found on a wide variety of crustaceans. They typically have functions in locomotion. Definition Uropods are often defined as the appendages of the last body segment of a crustacean. An alternative definition sugge ...

s on either side of the tail create a large tail fan. These animals can swim backwards rapidly by flexing their tail fan. The eyes are pigmented. The carapace of this animal may be up to 6.7 cm (2.6") long, but the chellipeds may be several times longer.

Habitat

This squat lobster is found in Eastern Pacific waters from

Sitka russian: Ситка , native_name_lang = tli , settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough , image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg , image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984 , image_size ...

, Alaska to the

Coronado Islands The Coronado Islands (''Islas Coronado'' or ''Islas Coronados''; en, Islands of the Coronation(s); Kumeyaay: Mat hasil ewik kakap) are a group of islands located off the northwest coast of the Mexican state of Baja California. Battered by the w ...

, Baja California, including

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

. It is found in water depths from 12 to 1463 meters. These animals favor rocky bottoms and rock faces in areas of low current. The low current often results in a silty habitat. There is evidence that this species can tolerate low oxygen concentrations.

Life history

These crabs forage on the bottom, eating detritus, carrion, plankton, and benthic shrimp. They hide from predators in rock crevices and under cobbles. Their long claws allow them to feed from the safety of these recesses. They are found on deep water sponges in British Columbia. Unlike most other species of squat lobsters, ''Munida quadrispina'' juveniles are pelagic, swimming freely in the sea, foraging on plankton, before they mature and settle to the bottom.

Edibility

There are commercial fisheries for several species of squat lobster, and even an experiment serving them at

Long John Silver's Long John Silver's (formerly known as Long John Silver's Seafood Shoppes and sometimes abbreviated as LJS) is an American chain of fast-food restaurants that specializes in seafood. The brand's name is derived from the novel ''Treasure Island ...

, but there is no commercial fishery for ''Munida quadrispina''. This species is not listed in the Food and Drug Administration's Seafood List. They are, however, occasionally caught in recreational prawn traps and adventurous chefs have prepared them as they might other crabs. They are reported good to eat.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4467978 Squat lobsters Crustaceans described in 1902 Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean