| Orithyia sinica | |
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| Superfamily: | Orithyioidea Dana, 1852 |
| Family: | Orithyiidae Dana, 1852 |
| Genus: | Orithyia Fabricius, 1798 |
| Species: | O. sinica |
| Binomial name | |
| Orithyia sinica (Linnaeus, 1771) | |
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Orithyia sinica, sometimes calledtiger crab or thetiger face crab, is a "singularly unusual"species ofcrab,[1] whose characteristics warrant its separation into a separategenus,family and evensuperfamily,[1] having previously been included in theDorippoidea orLeucosioidea.[2] Itslarvae, for instance, are unlike those of any other crab.[3]
O. sinica is a distinctive species, with stripes on thelegs, and prominenteyespots on thecarapace; the females'abdomen is unusually narrow, leaving the vulvae exposed.[1] The legs are flattened at the end, and this is an adaptation to digging, notswimming.[1]
O. sinica is found along the coast of mainlandAsia fromSouth Korea toHong Kong, but is missing from the nearbyislands, such asTaiwan, theRyukyu Islands andJapan, even though the intervening waters are shallow and the crab'slarvae areplanktonic.[1] Throughout its range,O. sinica isfished on a small scale and commands high prices.[1]
The nameOrithyia (also speltOrithuja) commemoratesOrithyia, daughter ofErechtheus,King of Athens.[1]
Media related toOrithyia sinica at Wikimedia Commons