Menippidae

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). Representatives are commonly known as stone crabs in reference to their hard carapace.

Characters (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 [Menippinae, Oziidae, Oziinae]
    |--Ozius Milne Edwards 1834B64
    |    |--O. granulosusAH81
    |    |--O. guttatus Milne Edwards 1834HS15
    |    |--O. hawaiiensisAH81
    |    |--O. perlatusAH81
    |    |--O. reticulatusAH81
    |    |--O. rugulosusAH81
    |    |--O. tenuidactylusAH81
    |    |--O. truncatus Milne Edwards 1834B64
    |    |--O. tuberculosusAH81
    |    `--O. verreauxiiAH81
    |--MenippeMD01
    |    |--M. frontalisV77
    |    |--M. mercenaria Say 1818PTB03
    |    |--M. nodifronsHN-F08
    |    |--M. obtusaAH81
    |    `--M. rumphiiV77
    |--Sphaerozius Stimpson 1859B64
    |    |--*S. nitidus Stimpson 1859 [incl. Menippe convexa Rathbun 1893, M. ortmanni de Man 1899]B64
    |    `--S. nudus (Milne Edwards 1867) [=Actumnus nudus]B64
    |--Globopilumnus Balss 1933NT85
    |    |--G. actumnoides (Milne Edwards 1873)NT85
    |    |--G. africanus (Milne Edwards 1867)NT85
    |    |--G. calmani Balss 1933NT85
    |    |--G. globosus (Dana 1852)NT85
    |    |--G. kiiensis Takeda & Nagai 1983NT85
    |    |--G. multituberosus Garth & Kim 1983NT85
    |    |--G. stridulans Monod 1956NT85
    |    `--G. xantusii (Stimpson 1860)NT85
    |--Pseudozius Dana 1852 [Pseudoziidae]B64
    |    `--P. caystrus (Adams & White 1849)B64
    |--MyomenippeHS15
    |    |--M. fornasinii (Bianconi 1851)HS15
    |    `--M. hartwickiV77
    `--EpixanthusHS15
         |--E. dentatus (White 1848)HS15
         `--E. frontalis (Milne Edwards 1834)HS15

*Type species of generic name indicated

References

[AH81] Abele, L. G., K. L. Heck, Jr, D. S. Simberloff & G. J. Vermeij. 1981. Biogeography of crab claw size: assumptions and a null hypothesis. Systematic Zoology 30 (4): 406–424.

[B64] Bennett, E. W. 1964. The marine fauna of New Zealand: Crustacea Brachyura. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 153: 1–120.

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

[HS15] Hosie, A. M., A. Sampey, P. J. F. Davie & D. S. Jones. 2015. Kimberley marine biota. Historical data: crustaceans. Records of the Western Australian Museum Supplement 84: 247–285.

[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.

[V77] Vermeij, G. J. 1977. Patterns in crab claw size: the geography of crushing. Systematic Zoology 26 (2): 138–151.