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Corystes cassivelaunus

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EntityQ2710027· pop 11· linked from 15 articles

Corystes cassivelaunus

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Also known as Masked crab

Corystes cassivelaunus, the masked crab, helmet crab or sand crab, is a burrowing crab of the North Atlantic and North Sea from Portugal to Norway, which also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea. It may grow up to long (carapace length). The name "masked crab" derives from the patterns on the carapace which resemble a human face (a case of pareidolia), in a similar manner to heikegani. It is the only species in the genus Corystes.

Species

helmet crab

SPECIES

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. ClassMalacostraca
  4. OrderDecapoda
  5. FamilyCorystidae
Habitatmarine

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
221
With media
73
Family
Corystidae
Collections
CMN, USNM, NHMUK, MZLU, RBINS-SCIENTIFIC HERITAGE, GNM
Recorded in
United Kingdom, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Unitde Kingdom, Denmark

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Parent taxon
Corystes
Image
Corystes cassivelaunus 1.jpg
Show 6 more facts
taxon name
Corystes cassivelaunus
taxon rank
species
Commons category
Corystes cassivelaunus
Commons gallery
Corystes cassivelaunus
taxon common name
Masked crab
regional conservation status
Near Threatened
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

1 sections
Contents
  • References

Corystes cassivelaunus, the masked crab, helmet crab or sand crab, is a burrowing crab of the North Atlantic and North Sea from Portugal to Norway, which also occurs in the Mediterranean Sea. It may grow up to long (carapace length). The name "masked crab" derives from the patterns on the carapace which resemble a human face (a case of pareidolia), in a similar manner to heikegani. It is the only species in the genus Corystes.

C. cassivelaunus lives buried in sandy substrates, where it feeds on the infaunal invertebrates such as polychaete worms and bivalve molluscs. It uses its two antennae to form a breathing tube that allows oxygenated water down into the substrate. The chelipeds of males are much longer than the body, while those of females are only about as long as the carapace.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Corystes cassivelaunus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (2)

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