Pugettia productus
Encyclopedia
Pugettia productus, known as the northern kelp crab or shield-backed kelp crab, is a species
of crab
in the family
Epialtidae
.
shaped like a police officer's badge or shield. As the name suggests, it feeds on kelp
. Size to 9 cm (3.5 in) across the carapace.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of crab
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 family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Epialtidae
Epialtidae
Epialtidae is a family of crabs, containing the subfamilies:* Epialtinae MacLeay, 1838* Pisinae Dana, 1851* Pliosomatinae Števčić, 1994* Tychinae Dana, 1851...
.
Description
Dark brown coloured with 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...
shaped like a police officer's badge or shield. As the name suggests, it feeds on kelp
Kelp
Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....
. Size to 9 cm (3.5 in) across the carapace.
External links
- Pugettia producta, NW Marine Life