Squat lobster
Munidopsis tridentata
Squat lobsters are mostly small crabs, the oval with their carapace and the bent under the carapace abdomen ( pleon ), a mixture of crabs ( Brachyura ) and lobsters are similar (hence the English name " squat lobster" = " squat lobster "). You are always longer than wide and only operate with three pairs of legs, not like the crab with four. The rostrum is pointed and above. The first pair of legs, with the scissors, is usually longer than the body and is worn far protruded.
Spring crabs live in all oceans of the world, three species in the North Sea. Many of the more than 80 species of the genus Munidopsis are deep-water fish.
Many tropical squat lobsters live closely with other invertebrates, such as fire coral or in the case of crinoid -Spring cancer ( Allogalathea elegans) together with feather stars. In the latter case the squat lobsters always lives on its host, adapts to color, and this steals food particles. The Spring cancer Lauriea siagiani lives inside of sponges of the genus Xestospongia.
Genera
- Agononida Baba & de Saint Laurent, 1995
- Allogalathea Baba, 1969
- Allomunida
- Anoplonida Baba & de Saint Laurent, 1995
- Bathymunida
- Cervimunida Benedict, 1902
- Coralliogalathea
- Fennerogalathea Baba, 1988
- Galathea Fabricius, 1793
- Lauriea
- Liogalathea
- Janetogalathea
- Munida Leach, 1820
- Munidopsis Whiteaves, 1874
- Nanagalathea
- Paramunida Baba, 1988
- Phylladriorhynchus
- Pleuroncodes
- Raymunida
- Sadayoshia Baba, 1969
- Shinkaia
Phylogeny
Meanwhile one divided squat lobsters because of distinct morphological and genetic characteristics into three groups: Galatheidae, Munididae and Munidopsidae. Furthermore, it is believed that cancers do not form a monophyletic group Jumping, ie are paraphyletic, as the representative of the Galatheidae with the porcelain crabs ( Porcellanidae ) have a recent common ancestor. Squat lobsters one summarizes therefore together with the porcelain crabs in the superfamily Gala Theo Idea.