Merostomata |
Xiphosura |
Limulidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / εύρος βάθους / distribution range
Οικολογία
; εύρος βάθους 3 - 11 m (Αναφ. 76). Tropical, preferred 24°C (Αναφ. 107945)
Western Atlantic: from Maine, USA to Mexico.
Length at first maturity / Μέγεθος / Weight / Age
Γεννητική Ωρίμανση: Lm ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 60.0 cm TL αρσενικό/απροσδιόριστο; (Αναφ. 82); μεγ. δημοσιευμένο βάρος: 1.8 kg (Αναφ. 82); μεγ. αναφερόμενη ηλικία: 20 έτη (Αναφ. 99652)
The males are approximately 1/3 the size of the females (sexual dimorphism) (Ref. 83). Lives in shallow waters, with sandy or muddy bottoms (Ref. 76). Found in intertidal and offshore areas (Ref. 1131). The horseshoe crab feeds at night on polychaete worms such as Cerebratulus, Nereis, and Cistenides (Ref. 76, 77), small mollusks, and seaweed (algae) found in the sandy ocean bottom (Ref. 76). Food is picked up by the chelicerae and passed back to the bristle bases, where it is "chewed." The food is then moved forward to the mouth (Ref. 75). It digs its food from sediments, grasping the prey with its legs. The prey is moved to the gnathobases where it is crushed before being pushed forward toward the mouth (Ref. 77). A life span of about 20 to 40 years (Ref. 78). Its predators are loggerhead turtles, pufferfish, leopard sharks and sea gulls (Ref. 82).
They reproduce with the use of the first pair of the six, flap-like appendages on the underside of the abdomen acts as a cover for the genital pore. The egg or sperm are released through this pore during spawning (Ref. 75). These eggs are fertilized by sperm released by an attached male and by one or more satellite males that typically congregate around the nesting pair (Ref. 81). While nesting, females bury themselves in the sediment near the water's edge and lay a series of discrete egg clusters, each containing 2,000-20,000 eggs (Ref. 80).
Lee, C.N. and B. Morton 2005 Experimentally derived estimates of growth by juvenile Tachypleus tridentatus and Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda (Xiphosura) from nursery beaches in Hongkong. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 318:39-49. (Αναφ. 1131)
IUCN Red List Status
(Αναφ. 130435: Version 2025-1)
CITES status (Αναφ. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
αλιεία: Εμπορικό(ά)
FAO - αλιεία: landings | FIRMS (Stock assessments) | FishSource | Η θάλασσα γύρω μας
Εργαλεία
Περισσότερες πληροφορίες
PhysiologyΚατανάλωση οξυγόνου
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Διαδικτυακές πηγές
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 12.5 - 28, mean 26.7 (based on 417 cells).
Fishing Vulnerability
High to very high vulnerability (66 of 100).
Climate Vulnerability
High to very high vulnerability (75 of 100).
Nutrients : Calcium = 126 [75, 177] mg/100g; Iron = 4.79 [1.67, 7.92] mg/100g; Protein = 16.6 [15.4, 17.8] %; Omega3 = 0.331 [0.263, 0.400] g/100g; Selenium = 57.8 [48.5, 67.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 1.97 [0.92, 3.02] mg/100g (wet weight); based on
nutrient studies.
