Mithracia libinioides (Bell, 1858)
Mithracia libinioides (Bell, 1858)
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Mithracia libinioides is a very rare small crab found at a few sites along the London Clay. It is often called the 'Strawberry Crab' due to the very distinctive carapace.
It is also quite fragile and often is badly worn before being found.
Mithracia libiniodes has been found at Sheppey, Butts Cliff, Maylandsea and Steeple Bay.
This specimen was found by James Black who has given me premission to use this photo.
Description: Carapace pyriform, subglobular, rostrum sulcate, regions well defined; dorsal surface covered in spiniform tubercles.
(Description from: A guide to the fossil Decapoda (Crustacea: Axiidea, Anomura, Brachyura) of the British Isles)
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Superclass: Multicrustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Subclass: Eumalacostraca
Superorder: Eucarida
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Section: Eubrachyura
Subsection: Heterotremata
Superfamily: Majoidea
Family: Majidae (Cloest living relatives)
Subfamily: Micromaiinae
Genus: Mithracia
Species: Mithracia libinioides
Image taken from Tony Mitchell's Database with Tony Mitchell's help and permission.
Fossil on display at Maidstone Museum and Art gallery
Paramaja gibba, a relative of Mithracia libinioides.
Image from:
Mithracia libinioides is part of the family Majidae which is still around today.
Majidae is a family of crabs, comprising around 200 marine species inside 52 genera, with a carapace that is longer than it is broad, and which forms a point at the front. The legs can be very long in some species, leading to the name "spider crab". The exoskeleton is covered with bristles to which the crab attaches algae and other items to act as camouflage.
Acknowledgments:
Thank you very much James Black and Tony Mitchell for allowing usage of an image on this page.
References:
https://marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1619309
https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/440013299
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majidae
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016787819301191#fig0020
Papers:
Joe S.H. Collins, Claire J.T. Mellish, Andrew J. Ross, Phillip R. Crabb, Stephen K. Donovan (2020), A guide to the fossil Decapoda (Crustacea: Axiidea, Anomura, Brachyura) of the British Isles
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