Calappa (crab)

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Genus of crabs

title: "Calappa (crab)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["calappoidea", "paleogene-first-appearances"] description: "Genus of crabs" topic_path: "general/calappoidea" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calappa_(crab)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Genus of crabs ::

| image = Calappa hepatica.JPG | image_caption = Calappa hepatica | fossil_range = | taxon = Calappa | authority = Weber, 1795

Calappa is a genus of crabs known commonly as box crabs or shame-faced crabs. The name box crab comes from their distinctly bulky carapace, and the name shame-faced is from anthropomorphising the way the crab's chelae (claws) fold up and cover its face, as if it were hiding its face in shame. The name calappa is associated with kelapa, the Malay word for 'coconut'.

Distribution

Calappa are benthic and found on sandy, shelly, and muddy seabeds. They are found from the shore to depths of around 150 m, with some species being found deeper at around 250 m. They commonly inhabit reef areas, seagrass beds, and sandy flats where they can easily burrow and camouflage with the surrounding environment. They are typically found in warm marine environments, favoring tropical and subtropical climates. Many species, like Calappa calappa and Calappa hepatica, are common in the Indo-Pacific region and can be found in areas such as the Red Sea, Hawaii, French Polynesia, Cocos Island, and northern Australia. They can be found in other parts of the world, such as Calappa granulata, which has been found in the Mediterranean Sea and off the coast of Venezuela. Other species have also been found in Central America.

Description

Calappa generally range in carapace width from about 6–15 cm. Most Calappa have a broad, rounded, and convex carapace. This in conjunction with its broad, flat, shield-like claws give the crab a box-like appearance. The claws' shielding posture gives rise to the other common name, "shame-faced crabs". Calappa are often difficult to distinguish based on morphology alone, and thus molecular phylogenetics are sometimes used alongside morphometrics to identify specimens with unique color patterns, size ranges, and textures.

Behavior

Calappa are known to burrow in the seabed. They push their chelae forward against the substratum which in turn pushes their carapace down and backward into the sediment. Through this process, Calappa either submerges itself completely or leaves just its eyes exposed. This burial process disturbs the substratum and has been observed to inadvertently aid fish in hunting invertebrates and small fish hiding in the seabed.

Calappas chelae are specialized for feeding on marine gastropods and bivalves. A study of the feeding behavior of C. ocellata found that the chelae are of about equal size but differ noticeably in function and internal morphology. The right chela has a thick, calcified apodeme, broad teeth, and greater mechanical advantage than the left. It is used to crush or shear shells, but it is not robust for this task. Likely to compensate for this, the outside face of the right chela additionally features a "peg and cusp" structure which is used like a can opener to break the lip of gastropod shells. The left chela is slim, pointed in a beak-like fashion, lined with small, pointed teeth along the propodus, and fringed with setae which may be used for sensing. It is used for faster or more delicate tasks such as holding a shell in place during crushing, picking flesh from crushed prey, and possibly capturing agile prey.

Species

Calappa contains the following extant species:

Image:Calappidae - Calappa calappa.JPG|Calappa calappa Image:Flame Box Crab.jpg|Calappa flammea Image:Calappa gallus (exuvie).JPG|Calappa gallus Image:Calappa granulata.jpg|Calappa granulata Image:Calappa hepatica.JPG|Calappa hepatica Image:Calappa japonica.jpg|Calappa japonica Image:Specimen of Calappa lophos-2.JPG|Calappa lophos Image:Calappa philargius female.jpg|Calappa philargius Image:Calappa sulcata.jpg|Calappa sulcata

Extinct species

Calappa contains the following extinct species:

| † Calappa chungii | Hu & Tao, 1985 | † Calappa costaricana | Rathbun, 1918 | † Calappa cuspidata | (Guppy, 1909) | † Calappa damarcoi | Pasini & Garassino, 2017 | † Calappa earlei | Withers, 1924 | † Calappa heberti | Brocchi, 1883 | † Calappa lanensis | Rathbun, 1926 | † Calappa laraensis | Van Straelen, 1933 | † Calappa madoerensis | Van Straelen, 1938 | † Calappa oboui | Hu & Tao, 1996 | † Calappa ocalanus | (Ross, Lewis & Scolaro, 1964) | † Calappa pavimenta | Schweitzer, Iturralde-Vinent, Hetler & Velez-Juarbe, 2006 | † Calappa praelata | Lőrenthey in Lőrenthey & Beurlen, 1929 | † Calappa protopustulosa | Noetling, 1901 | † Calappa restricta | Milne-Edwards, 1873 | † Calappa robertsi | Ross, 1964 | † Calappa sahelensis | Van Straelen, 1936 | † Calappa sangiranensis | Van Straelen, 1938 | † Calappa sexapinosa | Morris & Collins, 1991 | † Calappa zinsmeisteri | Feldmann & Wilson, 1988 | † Calappa zurcheri | Bouvier, 1899 ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Calappidae_-_Calappa_species.JPG" caption="Fossil of ''Calappa'' species"] ::

Fossils of species within this genus can be found in sediment of Europe, United States, Mexico, Central America, Australia and Japan from Paleogene to recent (age range: 33.9 to 0.0 Ma).

References

Bibliography

References

  1. {{ITIS
  2. Hosie, Andrew. (8 March 2011). "Creature Feature: The Japanese Shame-Faced Crab". [[Western Australian Museum]].
  3. Galil, Bella S.. (1997). "Crustacea Decapoda: A revision of the Indo-Pacific species of the genus ''Calappa'' Weber, 1795 (Calappidae)". Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle.
  4. (21 November 2013). "Box Crab". [[Waikīkī Aquarium]].
  5. (August 2013). "Calappa granulata (Linnaeus, 1758) (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Calappidae) and Astiplax aspera n. gen., n. sp. (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura, Goneplacidae) from the Asti sands Fm. (Late Pliocene) of S. Pietro (Asti, Piedmont, NW Italy)". Boletín de la Sociedad Geológica Mexicana.
  6. (1 December 2005). "Fishery and biometrics of genus ''Calappa'' crabs (Brachyura: Calappidae) in northeastern Venezuela". Revista de Biología Tropical.
  7. Galil, Bella S.. (1997). "Crustacea Decapoda: A revision of the Indo-Pacific species of the genus ''Calappa'' Weber, 1795 (Calappidae)". Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle.
  8. (18 July 2021). "A new color morph of ''Calappa flammea'' (Herbst, 1794), with implications for the taxonomy of ''Calappa Weber'', 1795 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Calappidae)". [[Journal of Crustacean Biology]].
  9. (October 2024). "The Box Crab ''Calappa hepatica'' as a Nuclear Species for the Opportunistic Foraging Behaviour of the Flowery Flounder, Bothus mancus, in the Indo-Pacific". [[MDPI]].
  10. De Grave, Sammy. (2 December 2019). "''Calappa'' Weber, 1795".

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