Lithodes maja
| Lithodes maja | |
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| Lithodes maja (on top of Hyas araneus) | |
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| Species: | L. maja
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| Binomial name | |
| Lithodes maja | |
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Lithodes maja is a species of king crab which occurs in the colder waters of Europe and North America. It is found along entire coast of Norway,[2] the northern half of the British Isles, and around the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Svalbard and off south-eastern Greenland.[1] In Canada, it is found from Newfoundland southwards.[3]
The carapace is almost circular and may reach a width of 13–14 centimetres (5.1–5.5 in).[2] The whole body is brown or orange and is covered with large spikes. It lives on both soft and hard bottoms, from a few metres below the surface to around 800 m depth.[1][2] Like most king crabs, females are asymmetrical, with the left side of the abdomen considerably larger than the right, although specimens with the reverse of this are occasionally found.[4]
The low rate of egg production by this species, in comparison to species fished in the North Pacific, limits its abundance, making it unsuitable for commercial exploitation.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Cédric d'Udekem d'Acoz (2003). "Lithodes maja (Linnaeus, 1758)". Crustikon – crustacean photographic website. Tromsø Museum – University of Tromsø. Archived from the original on February 19, 2008. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
- ^ a b c K. Telnes. "Deepsea king crab". seawater.no. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
- ^ "Stone crab, Lithodes maja". Canada's Species. McGill University. Retrieved August 16, 2007.
- ^ S. D. Zaklan (2000). "A case of reversed asymmetry in Lithodes maja (Linnaeus, 1758) (Decapoda, Anomura, Lithodidae)". Crustaceana. 73 (8): 1019–1022. doi:10.1163/156854000504949.
- ^ "Northern stone crab (Lithodes maja) exploratory fishing" (PDF). Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. 2000.
External links
Media related to Lithodes maja at Wikimedia Commons
