Maguimithrax spinosissimus,[2] also known as theCaribbean king crab,[3]West Indian spider crab,channel clinging crab,reef orspiny spider crab, andcoral crab, is a species ofspider crab that occurs throughoutSouth Florida and across theCaribbean Islands.[4][5]
Maguimithrax spinosissimus has a reddish-brown carapace and walking legs. The claws are smooth, purplish gray, with a single row of nodules along the outer edge, and blunt claw tips. The legs are covered with numerous short spines and nodules. It is the largest native crab species of the Atlantic. It can reach up to 3 kg of weight and a carapace length of 18 cm.[3]
Dorsal and ventral views of two different sized males
Maguimithrax spinosissimus is found from North Carolina to Venezuela. It inhabits caves and reef underhangs from the shallow intertidal to depths of up to 200 m.[3]
It was made thetype species of a separate genusMaguimithrax by Klompmakeret al. (2015).[6]
The diet of this crab is largely unknown; however, it is considered a large omnivore that has been noted to feed on algae and carrion.[7] Unlike crabs such as theblue crab, the West Indian spider crab is not commercially harvested for its meat.[4]
^abcTurini, Tassia; Colavite, Jéssica; Bolaños, Juan A.; Hernández, Jesús Enrique; Baeza, Juan Antonio; Santana, William (May 2021). "Larval development of the Caribbean king crab Maguimithrax spinosissimus (Lamarck, 1818), the largest brachyuran in the western Atlantic (Crustacea: Decapoda: Majoidea)".Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.101 (3):577–589.Bibcode:2021JMBUK.101..577T.doi:10.1017/S0025315421000515.S2CID237417648.
^Humann, Paul; DeLoach, Ned (2002).Reef Creature Identification: Florida Caribbean Bahamas (2nd ed.). Jacksonville, FL: New World Publications. pp. 224–225.ISBN978-1-878348-31-9.
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