Pinnotheres atrinicola
Encyclopedia
Pinnotheres atrinicola is a small crab
that lives symbiotically
in the horse mussel Atrina zelandica around New Zealand
. This species was recognised as being distinct from Pinnotheres novaezelandiae in 1983 .
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...
that lives symbiotically
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
in the horse mussel Atrina zelandica around New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. This species was recognised as being distinct from Pinnotheres novaezelandiae in 1983 .