Menippidae

The stone crab Menippe mercenaria, photographed by Jo O'Keefe.

Belongs within: Heterotremata.

The Menippidae are a family of marine crabs found in habitats ranging from coastal mangrove swamps to depths of over 800 m (Davie 2002).

Characters (from Davie 2002): Carapace xanthoid in shape, hexagonal to transversely oval or subrectangular; dorsal surface with regions moderately distinct or indistinct; granular or smooth, sometimes with distinct ridges; frontal margin more or less distinctly bi- or quadrilobed. Orbits typically open or sometimes closed; antennae typically positioned near orbits and antennules, but may be at some distance. Anterolateral margins typically with four lobes or broad teeth, but sometimes a variable number of spines or spinules, rarely entire; usually, but not always, clearly differentiated from posterolateral margins. Endostome with crests defining efferent branchial channels well developed, reaching anterior border of buccal cavity. Chelipeds more or less unequal; larger chela often with prominent cutting or crushing molariform tooth. Thoracic sternum narrow, never prominently widened. Male abdomen with all seven segments distinct, movable. Male genital openings coxal; female openings sternal. Male first gonopod stout, straight to weakly curved; second gonopod longer than or as long as first, with distinct long to very long flagellum.

<==Menippidae [Oziidae]
    |--Ozius truncatus MD01, HS01
    |--Menippe MD01
    |    |--M. mercenaria Say 1818 PTB03
    |    `--M. nodifrons HN-F08
    `--Globopilumnus Balss 1933 NT85
         |--G. actumnoides (Milne Edwards 1873) NT85
         |--G. africanus (Milne Edwards 1867) NT85
         |--G. calmani Balss 1933 NT85
         |--G. globosus (Dana 1852) NT85
         |--G. kiiensis Takeda & Nagai 1983 NT85
         |--G. multituberosus Garth & Kim 1983 NT85
         |--G. stridulans Monod 1956 NT85
         `--G. xantusii (Stimpson 1860) NT85

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

Davie, P. J. F. 2002. Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 19.3B. Crustacea: Malacostraca: Eucarida (Part 2). Decapoda—Anomura, Brachyura. CSIRO Publishing: Collingwood (Victoria).

[HS01] Hayward, B. W., A. B. Stephenson, M. S. Morley, W. M. Blom, H. R. Grenfell, F. J. Brook, J. L. Riley, F. Thompson & J. J. Hayward. 2001. Marine biota of Parengarenga Harbour, Northland, New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Museum 37: 45-80.

[HN-F08] Hirose, G. L., & M. L. Negreiros-Franzoso. 2008. Growth and juvenile development of Uca maracoani Latreille 1802-1803 in laboratory conditions (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Ocypodidae). Senckenbergiana Biologica 88 (2): 161-168.

[MD01] Martin, J. W., & G. E. Davis. 2001. An updated classification of the Recent Crustacea. Natural History Museum Los Angeles County, Science Series 39: 1-124.

[NT85] Ng, P. K. L., & L. W. H. Tan. 1985. Globopilumnus multituberosus Garth & Kim, 1983 – a new record for Australia (Decapoda: Crustacea: Menippidae). Records of the Australian Museum 36: 127-129.

[PTB03] Portell, R. W., R. L. Turner & J. L. Beerensson. 2003. Occurrence of the Atlantic ghost crab Ocypode quadrata from the Upper Pleistocene to Holocene Anastasia Formation of Florida. Journal of Crustacean Biology 23 (3): 712-722.