Metacarcinus
Encyclopedia
Metacarcinus is a genus of crab
s formerly included in the genus Cancer
. It includes nine exclusively fossil
species and five extant species, of which four are also known from the fossil record. The monophyly
of this genus was not supported by a molecular study using the cytochrome oxidase I
gene.
Included species:
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...
s formerly included in the genus Cancer
Cancer (genus)
Cancer is a genus of marine crabs in the family Cancridae. It includes 8 extant species and 3 extinct species, including familiar crabs of the littoral zone, such as the European edible crab , the Jonah crab and the red rock crab...
. It includes nine exclusively fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
species and five extant species, of which four are also known from the fossil record. The monophyly
Monophyly
In common cladistic usage, a monophyletic group is a taxon which forms a clade, meaning that it contains all the descendants of the possibly hypothetical closest common ancestor of the members of the group. The term is synonymous with the uncommon term holophyly...
of this genus was not supported by a molecular study using the cytochrome oxidase I
Cytochrome c oxidase
The enzyme cytochrome c oxidase or Complex IV is a large transmembrane protein complex found in bacteria and the mitochondrion.It is the last enzyme in the respiratory electron transport chain of mitochondria located in the mitochondrial membrane...
gene.
Included species:
- Metacarcinus anthonyi (Pliocene to Recent)
- † Metacarcinus danai (Miocene, California)
- † Metacarcinus davidi (Miocene to Pliocene, California)
- Metacarcinus edwardsii
- † Metacarcinus goederti (Oligocene, Alaska)
- Metacarcinus gracilis (Pliocene to Recent)
- Metacarcinus granti
- † Metacarcinus izumoensis (Miocene, Japan)
- † Metacarcinus jenniferae (Middle Pliocene, California)
- Metacarcinus magisterDungeness crabThe Dungeness crab, Metacarcinus magister , is a species of crab that inhabits eelgrass beds and water bottoms on the west coast of North America. It typically grows to across the carapace and is a popular seafood...
(Pliocene to Recent) - † Metacarcinus minutoserratus (Pliocene, Japan)
- Metacarcinus novaezelandiae
- † Metacarcinus starri (Early Oligocene, Washington)