New insights into the evolution of portunoid swimming crabs (Portunoidea, Heterotremata, Brachyura) and the brachyuran axial skeleton.

ABSTRACT: Portunoidea (Heterotremata) is a morphologically disparate taxon of true crabs (Brachyura) best-known for many of its representatives being considered "swimming crabs". The term "swimming crab", however, sometimes refers to a distinct taxon (traditionally to Portunidae within Portunoidea), and sometimes to a certain morphotype in which the 5th pereiopod (P5) has a specific shape that facilitates swimming. We use the term "P5-swimming crab" or "P5-swimmer" herein, not only to restrict it to the morphotype, but also to distinguish the swimming in question from other kinds of swimming in Brachyura. The evolution of P5-swimming crabs has not yet been satisfactorily investigated. In particular, it is not known whether the morphotype evolved several times independently in different lineages of P

SUBMITTER: Hazerli D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9609296 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature