Atelecyclus rotundatus

Atelecyclus rotundatus is a medium-sized crab found on the west coast of Europe and Africa as well as almost all the Mediterranean Sea and on the Cape Verde and Canary islands.[2] It has many common names, including circular crab, round crab and old man's face crab. It measures about 40 millimetres (1.6 in) across its almost circular, reddish-brown carapace and lives on coarse soft bottoms at shallow depths.[2] There are 9–11 sharp teeth on the front and 3 teeth between the eyes.[2]

Atelecyclus rotundatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Infraorder:
Brachyura
Family:
Atelecyclidae
Genus:
Atelecyclus
Species:
A. rotundatus
Binomial name
Atelecyclus rotundatus
(Olivi, 1792)
Synonyms [1]
  • Cancer rotundatus Olivi, 1792
  • Cancer septemdentatus Montagu, 1813
  • Atelecyclus heterodon Leach, 1815

This crab is sometimes mistaken for the more common Atelecyclus undecimdentatus. However, Atelecyclus undecimdentatus can be distinguished by its wider carapace and coarser granulations.[3]

References
  1. Peter K. L. Ng, Danièle Guinot & Peter J. F. Davie (2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 17: 1–286.
  2. Sonia Rowley (2007). "Atelecyclus rotundatus. Circular crab". Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. Retrieved January 16, 2010.
  3. "The Marine Life Information Network". MarLIN. Retrieved 2012-07-18.
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