BRAZIL’S FAUNA
(Page prepared by a nature’s observer)

Crabs, lobsters and cia. (superclass Crustacea)

    See here a list of some species of the superclass Crustacea that occurs in Brazil.

    This superclass in the systematic:
        Kingdom Animalia (multicelular organisms)
            Philum Arthropoda (Articulated body)
             Superclass Crustacea
                            With its Orders, Families, Genus and Species

    Superclass Crustacea
    The superclass crustacea is composed by around 38.500 species.

    Order Decapoda
     Here we are just going to write about some characteristics and species of the Order Decapoda that comprises crabs, lobsters etc., because they are the  easiest animal to be seen and identified by nature lovers.

    General Characteristics:
    - around 10.000 species and 1.200 genus (high diversity);
    - 38.500 crustaceans- 39 orders;
    - great form variety;
    - majority of marine life (90%). Some species of salt water, little from sweet water and just a few adapted to terrestrial life;
    - occurrence in all of the oceans and continents;
    - they live in depths that varies from 0 to 6000 meters;
    - they can be herbivore, carnivore, filtraters or omnivores;
    - they are extremely economically important, in human feeding, in the preparing of animal's food and extraction of chemical principles.

       Morphological characteristics:
    - presence of a developed carapace for closing and protecting gills chambers;
    - carapace fusion dorsally fusioned to all thorax segments;
    - basic gill standard that can be defined by the position or morphology of the gills.

    Crabs
    As Dr. Gustavo Augusto Schmidt de Melo told us, there are in Brazil, nowadays, around 325 crabs species, and that up the edition of his book (1996) there were 302 described species.

    Among crabs that are most known are:
    - Ocypode quadrata
    - Callinectes spp.

    - Gecarcinus lagostoma

    - Goniopsis cruentata

    The difference between crabs are their last couple of paws.

    Lobsters and small lobsters
    Also as said by Dr. Gustavo Augusto Schmidt de Melo (1999 and verbal communication), there are three lobter species in Brazil and around 10 species of small lobsters.
The lobsters are well-known because are a very appreciated delicacy. A lot of species are under control for fishing because are threatened of extinction.
 The small lobsters are, in their great majority, of sweet water, also being a lot appreciated as delicacy.

    Consulted Bibliography
    Melo, G.A.S.   1996. Manual de Identificação dos Brachyura (caranguejos e Siris) do Litoral Brasileiro São Paulo, Ed.Plêiade/FAPESP. 603 p.
    Melo, G.A.S   1999. Manual de Identificação dos Crustacea Decapoda do Litoral Brasileiro : Anomura, Thalassinidea, Palinuridea e Astacidea. São Paulo, Ed.Plêiade/FAPESP. 551 p..
    Storer, T.; Usinger, R.L.;Stebbins, R.C. & Nybakken, J.W.   1995.   Zoologia Geral.  São Paulo, Companhia Editora Nacional, 6ª ed. 816 p.

    Curiosities
    Do you know that?
    - There are crabs with 4 meters and some other with less than 1 mm?
    - There are crabs that live into flowers?
    - There are crabs that eat coconuts, taking them on the top of  coconut palm, and their scientific name Birgus latro means " coconut palm thief"?
    - The crab Chorinus heros live into the coral block, from where never leaves, not also for reproducing, and up nowadays its reproduction is a mystery?
    - The crab  Ocypode quadrata  is called "ghost crab" because it is all white and just leaves at night.
    - The crab Planes cyaneus, that lives in wood pieces on the oceans is called "Colombo crab", indicating that there is land nearly.
    - There are crabs that live on trees in the swamps?
    - A crab from Ilha Trindade, ES, known as "thief crab" has a specialty?   "Stealing" the tourists' cameras and taking them to the sea?
    - If we take of the seaweed cover that are usually in the crabs carapace of some crabs, this cover will be replaced one by one?
    -  Crabs are capable of regenerating their paws after losing them in combats for surviving?
    - The crabs' eyes are on the top of their antennas for "taking a look if everything is OK" before living their burrow?

    Links
    - Museu de Zoologia USP
    - Instituto de Biociências USP
    - Projeto BIOTA/FAPESP

    Thanks for the collaboration in this page by Gustavo Augusto Schmidt de Melo, Doctorate in Biological Science and Chief Curator of the Carcinology Laboratory of the Zoology Museum of São Paulo University- Brazil.(gasmelo@usp.br).