Cryptolithodes expansus (Japanese: メンコガニ)[2] is a species of king crab native to the Korean coast and Japan. They live in the sublittoral zone to a depth of approximately 5–66 metres (16–217 ft).[2][3] Adults measure approximately 50 mm (2.0 in) wide and 80 mm (3.1 in) long and have a rostrum of about 10 mm (0.39 in).[4]
Distribution and habitat
Cryptolithodes expansus can be found in both the western and eastern Pacific Ocean. In the west, it can be found along the Japanese and Korean coasts,[3][5] and in the east, it can be found as far south as British Columbia.[6] In Japan, it is distributed from Rishiri Island to Nanao Bay on the Sea of Japan coast and from Yūbetsu to Iwaki on the Pacific coast.[2]
^ abcOhtsuchi, Naoya; Kanki, Takayuku; Kawamura, Tomohiko (26 April 2024). "メンコガニ(甲殻亜門,十脚目,異尾下目,タラバガニ科)の分布域の再検討と 大槌湾から得られた脱皮直後の個体の記録" [Review on the distribution ranges of Cryptolithodes expansus (Miers, 1879) (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae) with notes on a specimen shortly after moulting found at Otsuchi Bay, Northeastern Japan] (PDF). Bulletin of the Otsuchi Coastal Research Center. 39: 1–8. doi:10.15083/0002009917. Retrieved 30 November 2024 – via the University of Tokyo.