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Cryptochiridae

Specimen image via iDigBio · CC0

EntityQ1060511· pop 16· linked from 53 articles

Cryptochiridae

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Cryptochiridae is a family of crabs known commonly as gall crabs or coral gall crabs. They live inside dwellings in corals and cause the formation of galls in the coral structure. The family is currently placed in its own superfamily, Cryptochiroidea.

Species

gall crabs

FAMILY

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumArthropoda
  3. ClassMalacostraca
  4. OrderDecapoda
  5. FamilyCryptochiridae
Habitatmarine
Observations recorded4,719

via GBIF

Museum specimens

Specimen records
268
With media
62
Family
Cryptochiridae
Collections
SIO, USNM, UF, QM
Recorded in
New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Vanuatu, Australia, Mascarene Islands, Philippines, French Antilles, Japan

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Image
Galle de Hapalocarcinus marsupialis dans Pocillopora.JPG
Show 4 more facts
taxon name
Cryptochiridae
taxon rank
family
Commons category
Cryptochiridae
topic's main category
Category:Cryptochiridae
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

1 sections
Contents
  • References

Cryptochiridae is a family of crabs known commonly as gall crabs or coral gall crabs. They live inside dwellings in corals and cause the formation of galls in the coral structure. The family is currently placed in its own superfamily, Cryptochiroidea.

Gall crabs are sexually dimorphic, with males being much smaller than females. Contrary to females, most males are free-living and "visit" females for mating.

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