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Cancer irroratus - Wikipedia

  • ️Fri Jul 22 2022

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Cancer irroratus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Cancridae
Genus: Cancer
Species:

C. irroratus

Binomial name
Cancer irroratus

Say, 1817

Cancer irroratus (common name the Atlantic rock crab or peekytoe crab) is a crab in the genus Cancer. It is found from Iceland to South Carolina at depths up to 2,600 ft (790 m), and reaches 133 mm (5.2 in) across the carapace.

A molted carapace of Cancer irroratus from Long Beach, New York.

Cancer irroratus has nine marginal teeth on the front edge of the carapace beside each eye,[1] and reaches a carapace width of 5.25 inches (133 mm).[2] These crabs are similar in color to, and overlap in size with, the Jonah crab, Cancer borealis.[2] The two species can indeed be distinguished by the purplish-brown spots on the carapace of C. irroratus (contrasting with the yellow spots of C. borealis), and by the smooth edges to the teeth on the edge of the carapace (denticulate in C. borealis).[2] Males can range up to 8-127mm while females can range up to 113mm. When the crabs molt they usually molt in between the mouths of April to July [3] The two fount claws of the crab are very important because they are the ones that can grab pray as well as holding it while eating it.This crab species occurs on the eastern coast of North America, from Iceland to South Carolina.[1] Rock crabs live over a large depth range, from well above the low tide line to as deep as 2,600 feet (790 m).[1]

During the month of June is the male gonads are larger than 11mm then that means they are weel developed and mature. If its less that 50mm then that means that they are undeveloped or early stage of maturity. In a female are smaller that 70mm that means that they are in early stage of ovarian development.[4] When its reproduction season they tend to go to shallow waters like tilted pools or rocky areas. After females and male mate, the females will lay between 125,000 to 500,000. After the eggs are laid between the month of June and September the larva is stayed in the water until they hatch and the babies crab start heading to the deep water.[5]

Atlantic Rock crab diet mostly consist of shellfish like worm's clam's muscles sea urchins and even other crabs. But where they get most of the energy from is eating muscles because muscles provide all the crabs with the fatty acids that they need.[6] Atlantic rock crabs are most vulnerable when they are caught in lobster traps and as well lobster eating the tiny rock crabs when they are still in a larva stage because their shell is soft it doesn't get hard until they are a adult.[7] Over the years the as the seafood industry became to the more demanding so the Fishermans sating to catch Rock crab but to keep the population steady and not overfishing the crabs there are some regulations for an example fisherman's must have the license, have to have a specific measurement in order to keep the crab (102mm) and forbid people to catch female crab.[5]

The rock crab has recently become a popular culinary item. The name "peekytoe crab" refers to the fact that the legs are "picked" (a Maine colloquialism meaning "curved inward").[8] Until about 1997, they were considered a nuisance species by the lobster industry because they would eat the bait off of lobster traps.[1] But over time Scientist found out are part of a major ecosystem because they play a role in the food web since they have a much larger diet because they are energy recycling meaning that the process of using energy that would normally be wasted.[9] As well as heaving crabs as an important development to lobster because lobster eat the soft tissues and a little bit of the hard part of the crab because not only it helps with their growth but also post larva development.[10] So far, the scientist doesn't know if the population of the rock crab is increasing or decreasing but we do know that with the efforts that we are doing my keeping the populations and reproduction stable we can determine that the Atlantic rock crab won't go extinct anytime soon.

Even though the Atlantic Rock crab is important to the ecosystem it's also a threat to some parts of the world. For example, Iceland they recently discovered Atlantic rock crabs that is not native to their island, scientist think they got to Iceland by a larva in ballet water in developed and reproduced in the Icelandic water.[11] With the invasion of Atantic rock crab as well of the successful breading that is happening in Iceland now the crabs have not colonized Iceland.[11]

  1. ^ a b c d Krista Page (2002). "Cancer irroratus, Atlantic rock crab". Animal Diversity Web. University of Michigan. Retrieved June 12, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Alice Jane Lippson & Robert L. Lippson (2006). "Deeper, open waters". Life in the Chesapeake Bay (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 258–289. ISBN 978-0-8018-8338-5.
  3. ^ Haefner, Paul A. (August 1976). "Distribution, reproduction and moulting of the rock crab, Cancer irroratus Say , 1917, in the mid-Atlantic Bight". Journal of Natural History. 10 (4): 377–397. Bibcode:1976JNatH..10..377H. doi:10.1080/00222937600770291. ISSN 0022-2933.
  4. ^ Haefner, Paul A. (August 1976). "Distribution, reproduction and moulting of the rock crab, Cancer irroratus Say , 1917, in the mid-Atlantic Bight". Journal of Natural History. 10 (4): 377–397. doi:10.1080/00222937600770291. ISSN 0022-2933.
  5. ^ a b [Page, K. 2002. "Cancer irroratus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 25, 2025 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cancer_irroratus/ Page, K. 2002. "Cancer irroratus" (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed February 25, 2025 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cancer_irroratus/]. ;
  6. ^ Drolet, David; Riley, Cyrena; Robert, Sonia; Estrada, Rafael; Gianasi, Bruno L.; McKindsey, Christopher W. (2022-07-22). "Effect of Aquaculture-Related Diets on the Long-Term Performance and Condition of the Rock Crab, Cancer irroratus". Frontiers in Marine Science. 9. Bibcode:2022FrMaS...965390D. doi:10.3389/fmars.2022.865390. ISSN 2296-7745.
  7. ^ https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cancer_irroratus/.
  8. ^ Peggy Trowbridge Filippone. "Peekytoe Crab Information". About.com. Archived from the original on September 11, 2016. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  9. ^ Hanson, John Mark; Comeau, Michel; Rondeau, Amélie (2014-08-27). "Atlantic Rock Crab, unlike American Lobster, Is Important to Ecosystem Functioning in Northumberland Strait". Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 143 (5): 1266–1279. Bibcode:2014TrAFS.143.1266H. doi:10.1080/00028487.2014.931300. ISSN 0002-8487.
  10. ^ Gendron, Louise; Fradette, Pierre; Godbout, Guillaume (2001-07-30). "The importance of rock crab (Cancer irroratus) for growth, condition and ovary development of adult American lobster (Homarus americanus)". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 262 (2): 221–241. doi:10.1016/S0022-0981(01)00297-0. ISSN 0022-0981.
  11. ^ a b