Zebrida

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Superclassis: Multicrustacea
Classis: Malacostraca
Subclassis: Eumalacostraca
Superordo: Eucarida
Ordo: Decapoda
Subordo: Pleocyemata
Infraordo: Brachyura
Sectio: Eubrachyura
Subsectio: Heterotremata
Superfamilia: Pilumnoidea

Familia: Pilumnidae
Genus: Zebrida
Species: Z. adamsii – Z. brevicarinata – Z. longispina
Name

Zebrida White, 1847: 120

Type species: Zebrida adamsii White, 1847 (by monotypy)
References
Primary references

White, A. 1847. Descriptions of new or little-known Crustacea in the collection of the British Museum. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 15(177): 118–126. BHL Reference page.

Zebrida is a small genus of distinctive striped crabs, known as zebra crabs, that live in association with sea urchins in the Indo-Pacific.
Description

Zebrida was described by Arthur Adams as "a torpid, though elegant little crustacean".[2] It is "the most unusual" of the genera in the subfamily Eumedoninae, with long spines projecting from the body, and a distinctive pattern of stripes across the exoskeleton.[3]
Taxonomy and distribution

The genus was thought to be monotypic for a long time, but in 1999, Peter Ng & Diana Chia recognised two additional species, bringing the total number to three.[3]

Zebrida adamsii is widespread in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific Ocean, from Japan to Australia.
Zebrida brevicarinata is only known from Western Australia.
Zebrida longispina is only known from Western Australia.

Ecology and life cycle

Crabs of the genus Zebrida live, often in pairs, in association with sea urchins,[4] including Toxopneustes pileolus, Toxopneustes elegans, Tripneustes gratilla, Diadema setosum, Asthenosoma ijimai, Salmacis bicolor, Salmacis virgulata, Heliocidaris crassispina, Pseudocentrotus depressus and a species of Acanthocidaris.[3][5]

Z. adamsii passes through four zoeal phases, and one megalopa phase before reaching the mature condition.[6]
References

Peter Davie (2010). "Zebrida White, 1847". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved January 21, 2012.
Arthur Adams (1848). "Loo-Choo–Korea–Japan". In Edward Belcher (ed.). Narrative of the voyage of H.M.S. Samarang, during the years 1843–46: employed surveying the islands of the Eastern archipelago; accompanied by a brief vocabulary of the principal languages. Vol. 2. Reeve, Benham, and Reeve.
Peter K. L. Ng & Diana G. B. Chia (1999). "Revision of the genus Zebrida White, 1847 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Eumedonidae)". Bulletin of Marine Science. 65 (2): 481–495.
Gary C. B. Poore & Shane T. Ahyong (2004). "Zebrida White, 1847". Marine Decapod Crustacea of Southern Australia: a Guide to Identification. CSIRO Publishing. p. 451. ISBN 978-0-643-06906-0.
Yasunobu Yanagisawa & Akira Hamaishi (1986). "Mate acquisition by a solitary crab Zebrida adamsii, a symbiont of the sea urchin". Journal of Ethology. 4 (2): 153–162. doi:10.1007/BF02348117. S2CID 22908082.
Atsushi Mori; Yasunobu Yanagisawa; Yasushi Fukuda & Peter K. L. Ng (1991). "Complete larval development of Zebrida adamsii White, 1847 (Decapoda: Brachyura), reared in the laboratory". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 11 (2): 292–304. doi:10.2307/1548366. JSTOR 1548366.