Jacforus
Encyclopedia
Jacforus cavatus is a species of crab
in the monotypic genus Jacforus in the family Xanthidae
.
around 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) long and 7 mm (0.275590551181102 in) wide.
, ranging from Kenya
to Australia
, Japan
and Hawaii
.
by Mary J. Rathbun in 1907 as Cycloxanthus cavatus. It was described again by Charles Howard Edmondson in 1925 as Euxanthus minutus, and again by Edmondson in 1931 as Megametope sulcatus, both of which are junior subjective (heterotypic) synonyms. The affinites of Rathbun's species with other genera have also been unclear; its apparent affinities with the genus Medaeus
are superficial. When Danièle Guinot split the genus Cycloxanthops
in 1968, creating the new genus Neoxanthops
, C. cavatus was not explicitly placed in either genus. A new genus, Jacforus, was erected in 2003, commemorating Jacques Forest, and containing only J. cavatus.
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
in the monotypic genus Jacforus in the family Xanthidae
Xanthidae
Xanthidae is a family of crabs known as mud crabs, pebble crabs or rubble crabs. They are often brightly coloured and are poisonous, containing toxins which are not destroyed by cooking and for which no antidote is known...
.
Description
Jacforus is a small crab, with a carapaceCarapace
A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
around 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) long and 7 mm (0.275590551181102 in) wide.
Distribution
Jacforus cavatus has a wide distribution in the tropical Indo-PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
, ranging from Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Taxonomy
J. cavatus was first describedAlpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
by Mary J. Rathbun in 1907 as Cycloxanthus cavatus. It was described again by Charles Howard Edmondson in 1925 as Euxanthus minutus, and again by Edmondson in 1931 as Megametope sulcatus, both of which are junior subjective (heterotypic) synonyms. The affinites of Rathbun's species with other genera have also been unclear; its apparent affinities with the genus Medaeus
Medaeus
Medaeus is a genus of crabs in the family Xanthidae, containing the following species:*Medaeus aztec Davie, 1997*Medaeus danielita Mendoza & Ng, 2010*Medaeus elegans A. Milne-Edwards, 1867*Medaeus grandis Davie, 1993...
are superficial. When Danièle Guinot split the genus Cycloxanthops
Cycloxanthops
Cycloxanthops is a genus of crabs in the family Xanthidae, containing the following species:* Cycloxanthops bocki Garth, 1957* Cycloxanthops novemdentatus * Cycloxanthops occidentalis...
in 1968, creating the new genus Neoxanthops
Neoxanthops
Neoxanthops is a genus of crabs in the family Xanthidae, containing the following species:* Neoxanthops lineatus * Neoxanthops quadrilobatus * Neoxanthops rotundus Guinot, 1968...
, C. cavatus was not explicitly placed in either genus. A new genus, Jacforus, was erected in 2003, commemorating Jacques Forest, and containing only J. cavatus.
External links
- Jacforus cavatus, Marine Invertebrates of Kalaupapa National Historical Park