category: food/groceries: crustaceans

Reptantia

Reptantia is a group of decapod crustaceans that contain well-known creatures like crabs, lobsters and crayfish and can live, just like fish, in fresh and salt water. In earlier days Reptantia was considered a biological sub-order of the decapod crustaceans. Today all families within Reptantia are included in the sub-order Pleocyemata.

Reptantia differ in various characteristics from shrimps. With the exception of spiny lobsters and slipper lobsters they contain strong claws on their first pair of feet. The shell of the tail end (zool.: Abdomen) is flat, stronger developed and in most varieties shorter than that of shrimps. The last pair of swimming legs at the abdomen is more or less rudimentary. The female uses them to brood the eggs.

Reptantia are subdivided in four groups:

• Palinura
• Astacura
• Anomura
• Brachyura (True crabs)

To the infra-order of Palinura (clawless crabs) belong:

• spiny lobsters
• slipper lobsters

To the infra-order of Astacura (long-tailed crabs living near the ground) belong:

• lobsters
• langoustines
• crayfish

To the infraorder of Anomura belong:

• squat lobsters
• hermit crabs
• stone crabs

To the infraorder of Brachyura (true crabs) belong:

• homolid crabs
• shame-faced crabs
• spider crab
• brown crabs
• round crabs
• swimming crabs
• Florida stone crabs
• sweet water crabs
• land crabs
• runner crabs