View source for King crab

{{Short description|Family of anomuran crustaceans}}
{{Automatic taxobox
| name = King crabs
| fossil_range = {{Fossil range|Early Miocene | Recent}}
| image = Spiny_king_crab_md.jpg
| image_caption = ''[[Paralithodes californiensis]]''
| display_parents = 3
| parent_authority = Samouelle, 1819
| taxon = Lithodidae
| authority = [[George Samouelle|Samouelle]], 1819
| subdivision_ranks = Genera
| subdivision_ref = <ref name="Grave">{{cite journal|journal=[[The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology]] |year=2009 |volume=Suppl. 21 |pages=1–109 |title=A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans |last1=De Grave |first1=Sammy |last2=Pentcheff |first2=N. Dean |last3=Ahyong |first3=Shane T. |author-link3=Shane T. Ahyong |url=http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s21/s21rbz1-109.pdf |display-authors=etal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606064728/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s21/s21rbz1-109.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-06 }}</ref>
| subdivision =
'''Hapalogastrinae''' {{small|[[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1850}}
{{Linked genus list
| Acantholithodes | Holmes, 1895
| Dermaturus | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1850
| Hapalogaster | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1850
| Oedignathus | Benedict, 1895
| Placetron | Schalfeew, 1892
}}
'''Lithodinae''' {{small|Samouelle, 1819}}
{{Linked genus list
| Cryptolithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Echidnocerus | White, 1842{{efn|name=de Grave & Ahyong 2022}}
| Glyptolithodes | [[Walter Faxon|Faxon]], 1895
| Lithodes | [[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1806
| Neolithodes | [[Alphonse Milne-Edwards|A. Milne-Edwards]] & Bouvier, 1894
| Paralithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Paralomis | White, 1856
| Phyllolithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Rhinolithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Sculptolithodes | Makarov, 1934
}}}}

'''King crabs''' or '''stone crabs''' are marine [[Decapoda|decapod]] [[crustacean]]s of the [[family (biology)|family]] '''Lithodidae'''{{Efn|Collectively referred to as "lithodids".{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=311}}}} that are found chiefly in deep waters and are adapted to cold environments.{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=311}}<ref name="Hall & Thatje 2009">{{Cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=Sally |last2=Thatje |first2=Sven |date=October 2009 |title=Global bottlenecks in the distribution of marine Crustacea: temperature constraints in the family Lithodidae |url=https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/65000/1/Hall_JBiogeogr_09.pdf |url-status=live |journal=[[Journal of Biogeography]] |volume=36 |issue=11 |pages=2125–2135 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2699.2009.02153.x |bibcode=2009JBiog..36.2125H |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529044259/https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/65000/1/Hall_JBiogeogr_09.pdf |archive-date=29 May 2023}}</ref> They are composed of two subfamilies: '''Lithodinae''', which tend to inhabit deep waters, are globally distributed, and comprise the majority of the family's species diversity;<ref name="Hall & Thatje 2009" /><ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017" /> and '''Hapalogastrinae''', which are endemic to the North Pacific and inhabit exclusively shallow waters.<ref name="Hall & Thatje 2009" /> King crabs superficially resemble true [[crab]]s but are generally understood to be closest to the [[Paguridae|pagurid hermit crabs]].{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|pp=311–312}}<ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017">{{Cite journal|last1=Noever|first1=Christoph|last2=Glenner|first2=Henrik|date=2017-07-05|title=The origin of king crabs: hermit crab ancestry under the magnifying glass|url=http://macroecointern.dk/pdf-reprints/Noever_ZJLS_2018.pdf|url-status=live|journal=[[Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society]]|volume=182|issue=2|pages=300–318|doi=10.1093/zoolinnean/zlx033|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716022005/http://macroecointern.dk/pdf-reprints/Noever_ZJLS_2018.pdf|archive-date=2019-07-16|via=the [[University of Copenhagen]]}}</ref><ref name="Ahyong 2010"/> This placement of king crabs among the hermit crabs is supported by several anatomical peculiarities which are present only in king crabs and hermit crabs, making them a prominent example of [[carcinisation]] among decapods.<ref name="Keiler">{{cite journal |last1=Keiler |first1=Jonas |last2=Richter |first2=Stefan |last3=Wirkner |first3=Christian S. |date=2013-03-19 |title=Evolutionary morphology of the hemolymph vascular system in hermit and king crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomala) |journal=[[Journal of Morphology]] |volume=274 |issue=7 |pages=759–778 |doi=10.1002/jmor.20133 |pmid=23508935 |s2cid=24458262}}</ref> Several species of king crabs, especially in [[Alaska]]n and southern [[South America]]n waters, are targeted by [[commercial fishing|commercial fisheries]] and have been subject to [[overfishing]].{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=311}}<ref name="Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky 2017">{{cite journal |last1=Dvoretsky |first1=Alexander G. |last2=Dvoretsky |first2=Vladimir G. |date=November 2017 |title=Red king crab (''Paralithodes camtschaticus'') fisheries in Russian waters: historical review and present status |journal=Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries |volume=28 |issue=2 |pages=331–353 |doi=10.1007/s11160-017-9510-1 |issn=0960-3166}}</ref><ref name="Klaus et al. 2004"/>

==Taxonomy==
The [[phylogeny]] of king crabs as hermit crabs who underwent secondary calcification and left their [[Gastropod shell|shell]] has been suspected since the late 1800s.<ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017" /> They are believed to have originated during the [[Early Miocene]] in shallow North Pacific waters, where most king crab genera – including all Hapalogastrinae – are distributed and where they exhibit a high amount of [[Phenotypic disparity|morphological diversity]].<ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017" /><ref name="Karasawa et al. 2017">{{cite journal|last1=Karasawa|first1=Hiroaki|last2=Mizuno|first2=Yoshiaki|last3=Hachiya|first3=Kiichiro|last4=Ando|first4=Yusuke|title=Reappraisal of anomuran and brachyuran decapods from the lower Miocene Morozaki Group, Japan, collected by the Tokai Fossil Society|journal=Bulletin of the Mizunami Fossil Museum|date=March 2017|issue=43|pages=47–69|issn=0385-0900|url=https://www.city.mizunami.lg.jp/_res/projects/default_project/_page_/001/002/283/bmfm43karasawa-1.pdf|access-date=5 December 2024|via=the [[Mizunami Fossil Museum]]}}</ref>

In 2007, the king crabs were moved from their classification among the hermit crabs in the [[superfamily (taxonomy)|superfamily]] [[Paguroidea]] into a separate superfamily, Lithodoidea.<ref name="Grave" /> This was not without controversy, as there is widespread consensus in the scientific community that king crabs are derived from hermit crabs and closely related to [[Paguridae|pagurid hermit crabs]]; therefore, a separate superfamily in the classification poorly reflected the [[phylogenetic tree|phylogenetic relationship]] of this taxon.<ref name="Keiler" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Anker |first1=Arthur |last2=Paulay |first2=Gustav |date=2013-10-22 |title=A remarkable new crab-like hermit crab (''Decapoda'': ''Paguridae'') from French Polynesia, with comments on carcinization in the Anomura |url=https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/zt03722p300.pdf|url-status=live |journal=[[Zootaxa]] |volume=3722 |issue=2 |pages=283–300 |doi=10.11646/zootaxa.3722.2.9 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724212126/https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2013/f/zt03722p300.pdf |archive-date=2019-07-24}}</ref> In 2023, king crabs were folded back into Paguroidea, with Lithodoidea being considered superseded.{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|pp=311–312}} The king crabs' relationship to other hermit crabs, as well as the family's internal phylogeny, can be seen in the following two [[cladogram]]s:<ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017"/><ref name="Wolfe 2019">{{cite journal |last1=Wolfe |first1=Joanna M. |last2=Breinholt |first2=Jesse W. |last3=Crandall |first3=Keith A. |last4=Lemmon |first4=Alan R. |last5=Lemmon |first5=Emily Moriarty |last6=Timm |first6=Laura E. |last7=Siddall |first7=Mark E. |last8=Bracken-Grissom |first8=Heather D. |display-authors=6 |date=24 April 2019 |title=A phylogenomic framework, evolutionary timeline and genomic resources for comparative studies of decapod crustaceans |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B |volume=286 |issue=1901 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2019.0079 |doi-access=free |pmid=31014217 |pmc=6501934}}</ref>
{{Anomura cladogram}}
{{Lithodidae cladogram}}

{{As of|2025|May}}, there are 15 known [[Genus|genera]] of king crabs across two [[subfamilies]].<ref name="WoRMS">{{Cite WoRMS|last=Ahyong|first=Shane T.|author-link=Shane T. Ahyong|year=2023|id=106737|title=Lithodidae Samouelle, 1819|access-date=18 May 2025}}</ref>{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|pp=311–312}}<ref>{{cite journal|last1=McLaughlin|first1=Patsy A.|last2=Komai|first2=Tomoyuki|last3=Lemaitre|first3=Rafael|last4=Rahayu|first4=Dwi Listyo|date=2010-10-31|editor-last=Low|editor-first=Martyn E. Y.|editor2=Tan|editor2-first=S. H.|title=Annotated checklist of anomuran decapod crustaceans of the world (exclusive of the Kiwaoidea and families Chirostylidae and Galatheidae of the Galatheoidea) Part I – Lithodoidea, Lomisoidea and Paguroidea|url=https://decapoda.nhm.org/pdfs/31605/31605.pdf|url-status=live|journal=[[The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology]]|volume=Suppl. 23|pages=5–107|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417015104/https://decapoda.nhm.org/pdfs/31605/31605.pdf|archive-date=2016-04-17|via=the [[Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County]]}}</ref> These include:<ref name="WoRMS" />

=== Hapalogastrinae ===
{{Linked genus list
| Acantholithodes | Holmes, 1895
| Dermaturus | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1850
| Hapalogaster | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1850
| Oedignathus | Benedict, 1895
| Placetron | Schalfeew, 1892
}}

=== Lithodinae ===
{{Linked genus list
| Cryptolithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Echidnocerus | White, 1842{{efn|name=de Grave & Ahyong 2022|Known as ''Lopholithodes'' Brandt, 1848 until 2022 after the senior synonym ''Echidnocerus'' was rediscovered.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=de Grave|first1=Sammy|last2=Ahyong|first2=Shane T.|author-link2=Shane T. Ahyong|title=''Echidnocerus'' White, 1842, an overlooked senior synonym of ''Lopholithodes'' Brandt, 1848 (Decapoda, Lithodidae)|journal=[[Crustaceana]]|date=2022 |volume=95|issue=7|pages=861–865|doi=10.1163/15685403-bja10223|bibcode=2022Crust..95..861D |s2cid=252517428 }}</ref>}}
| Glyptolithodes | [[Walter Faxon|Faxon]], 1895
| Lithodes | [[Pierre André Latreille|Latreille]], 1806
| Neolithodes | [[Alphonse Milne-Edwards|A. Milne-Edwards]] & Bouvier, 1894
| Paralithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Paralomis | White, 1856
| Phyllolithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Rhinolithodes | [[Johann Friedrich von Brandt|Brandt]], 1848
| Sculptolithodes | Makarov, 1934
}}

== Description ==
[[File:Neolithodes agassizii eating.jpg|thumb|right|King crabs often feature prominent spines, which shrink as they mature.<ref name="Ahyong 2010" />]]
King crabs are a morphologically diverse group, distinctive among [[hermit crab]]s for their superficial similarity to [[true crab]]s.<ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017" /><ref name="Ahyong 2010">{{Cite book|last=Ahyong|first=Shane T.|author-link=Shane T. Ahyong|url=https://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/Memoir%20123_The%20Marine%20Fauna%20of%20New%20Zealand_King%20Crabs.pdf#page=6|title=The Marine Fauna of New Zealand: King Crabs of New Zealand, Australia, and the Ross Sea (Crustacea: Decapoda: Lithodidae)|publisher=[[National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research]]|year=2010|isbn=978-0478232851|series=NIWA Biodiversity Memoirs|volume=123|pages=5–15|lccn=2010497356|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215075140/https://docs.niwa.co.nz/library/public/Memoir%20123_The%20Marine%20Fauna%20of%20New%20Zealand_King%20Crabs.pdf|archive-date=15 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> They have five pairs of legs, called pereopods:{{efn|These legs are commonly labeled pereopod 1–5 starting from the anterior.<ref name="Ahyong 2010"/>}} the first – frontmost – set are [[cheliped]]s whose right side is generally noticeably more robust than the left; the second, third, and fourth are walking legs tipped with sharp [[dactylus|dactyli]]; and the fifth, used for cleaning, are very small and generally sit inside the branchial chamber.<ref name="Ahyong 2010"/> On their underside, they have a short [[Abdomen#Arthropoda|abdomen]] – composed of plates – which is asymmetrical in females.<ref name="Ahyong 2010" /> This abdomen (sometimes called a pleon)<ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017" /> is folded against the underside of the [[cephalothorax]] and is composed of six segments – called [[somite]]s or pleonites – and a [[telson]].<ref name="Ahyong 2010" />{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|pp=885–886}}{{efn|These segments are commonly labeled somite/pleonite 1–6 starting from the posterior.<ref name="Ahyong 2010"/>}} In Hapalogastrinae, this abdomen is soft, while it is hard and calcified in members of Lithodinae.<ref name="Noever & Glenner 2017" /> Lithodids lack any sort of [[uropod]] seen in some [[decapod]]s.<ref name="Ahyong 2010"/>

== Distribution ==
King crabs are typically found in deep waters, especially in [[Polar regions of Earth|polar]] and subpolar regions and near [[hydrothermal vent]]s and [[cold seep]]s.{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=311}} Members of Lithodinae can be found in all five of the world's oceans, namely the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]],{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=312}} [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]],{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=312}} [[Indian Ocean|Indian]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=Sally |last2=Thatje |first2=Sven |date=February 2018 |title=Evolution through cold and deep waters: the molecular phylogeny of the Lithodidae (Crustacea: Decapoda) |journal=[[The Science of Nature]] |volume=105 |issue=3–4 |page=19 |doi=10.1007/s00114-018-1544-2 |pmc=5829116 |pmid=29488024 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018SciNa.105...19H }}</ref> [[Southern Ocean|Southern]],{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=316}} and [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]],<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dvoretsky |first1=Alexander G. |last2=Dvoretsky |first2=Vladimir G. |date=September 2013 |title=Population dynamics of the invasive lithodid crab, ''Paralithodes camtschaticus'', in a typical bay of the Barents Sea |journal=[[ICES Journal of Marine Science]] |volume=70 |issue=6 |pages=1255–1262 |doi=10.1093/icesjms/fst037 |doi-access=free}}</ref> while members of Hapalogastrinae are only found in the North Pacific.<ref name="Hall & Thatje 2009"/> Members of Hapalogastrinae exhibit a tolerance for higher temperatures than Lithodinae; whereas Lithodinae tend to live exclusively in deep waters or – less commonly – high-latitude shallow waters, Hapalogastrinae are found only in shallow waters (<{{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}}).<ref name="Hall & Thatje 2009"/> At the deepest, members of the Lithodinae genera ''[[Paralomis]]'', ''[[Neolithodes]]'', and ''[[Lithodes]]'' have been found at depths of {{Convert|4152|m|ft|abbr=on}}, {{Convert|3207|m|ft|abbr=on}}, and {{Convert|1821|m|ft|abbr=on}}, respectively.{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=315–316}}

== Fisheries ==
[[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Alaskan red king crab.jpg|thumb|right|[[Red king crab]]s are widely fished in [[Alaska]].]]
Because of their large size, the taste of their meat, and their status as a [[delicacy]], some species of king crabs are caught and sold as food.<ref name="Cocito et al. 2024">{{cite journal|last1=Cocito|first1=Laura L.|last2=Permigiani|first2=Sabrina|last3=Tapella|first3=Federico|last4=Tomac|first4=Alejandra|last5=Czerner|first5=Marina|last6=Romero|first6=M. Carolina|title=Shelf-life of cooked meat of southern king crab (''Lithodes santolla'') and false king crab (''Paralomis granulosa'') during refrigerated storage|date=30 August 2024|journal=[[Heliyon]]|volume=10|issue=16|page=e36475|doi=10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36475|doi-access=free|pmid=39262967|pmc=11388567|bibcode=2024Heliy..1036475C }}</ref><ref name="Klaus et al. 2004"/><ref name="Dvoretsky & Dvoretsky 2017"/> Red (''[[Paralithodes camtschaticus]]'') and blue (''[[Paralithodes platypus]]'') king crabs are heavily targeted by [[Alaskan king crab fishing|commercial fisheries]] in [[Alaska]] and have been for several decades. However, populations have fluctuated in the past 25 years, and some areas are currently closed due to [[overfishing]].<ref name="Jensen">{{cite journal|last1=Jensen|first1=Gregory C.|last2=Armstrong|first2=David A.|year=1989|title=Biennial reproductive cycle of blue king crab, ''Paralithodes platypus'', at the Pribilof Island, Alaska and comparison to a congener, ''P. camtschatica''|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237183192|journal=[[Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences]]|volume=46|issue=6|pages=932–940|doi=10.1139/f89-120|bibcode=1989CJFAS..46..932J |issn=0706-652X|via=[[ResearchGate]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Klitin |first1=A.K. |last2=Nizyaev |first2=S.A. |year=1999 |title=The distribution and life strategies of some commercially important Far Eastern lithodid crabs in the Kuril Islands |journal=[[Biologiya Morya]] |location=Vladivostok |volume=25 |issue=3 |pages=221–228 |issn=1063-0740}}</ref><ref name="Stevens">{{cite journal |last=Stevens |first=Bradley G. |date=October 2006 |title=Timing and duration of larval hatching for blue king crab ''Paralithodes platypus'' Brandt, 1850 held in the laboratory |journal=[[Journal of Crustacean Biology]] |volume=26 |issue=4 |pages=495–502 |doi=10.1651/S-2677.1 |jstor=4094179 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2006JCBio..26..495S }}</ref><ref name="NPFRC2005">{{cite report |url=http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/habitat/seis/final/Volume_II/Appendix_F.3.pdf |title=Essential fish habitat assessment report for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands King and Tanner Crabs |date=April 2005 |publisher=North Pacific Fishery Research Council |volume=II |at=Appendix&nbsp;F.3 |access-date=2009-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100528050924/http://www.fakr.noaa.gov/habitat/seis/final/Volume_II/Appendix_F.3.pdf |archive-date=2010-05-28 |url-status=dead |series=NOAA Fisheries Report}}</ref> Alaskan fisheries additionally target the golden king crab (''[[Lithodes aequispinus]]'').<ref name="Olson et al. 2018">{{cite journal|last1=Olson|first1=A.P.|last2=Siddon|first2=C.E.|last3=Eckert|first3=G.L.|date=March 2018|title=Spatial variability in size at maturity of golden king crab (''Lithodes aequispinus'') and implications for fisheries management|journal=[[Royal Society Open Science]]|volume=5|issue=3 |page=171802|doi=10.1098/rsos.171802|doi-access=free|pmid=29657785|pmc=5882709|bibcode=2018RSOS....571802O }}</ref> In South America, both the southern king crab (''[[Lithodes santolla]]'') and several species of ''[[Paralomis]]'' are targeted by commercial fisheries,<ref name="Cocito et al. 2024"/>{{sfn|Poore|Ahyong|2023|p=311}} and as a result, the population of ''L. santolla'' has seen a dramatic decline.<ref name="Klaus et al. 2004">{{Cite journal |last1=Anger |first1=Klaus |last2=Lovrich |first2=Gustavo A. |last3=Thatje |first3=Sven |last4=Calcagno |first4=Javier A. |date=August 2004 |title=Larval and early juvenile development of ''Lithodes santolla'' (Molina, 1782) (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae) reared at different temperatures in the laboratory |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223835464 |journal=[[Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology]] |volume=306 |issue=2 |pages=217–230 |doi=10.1016/j.jembe.2004.01.010 |bibcode=2004JEMBE.306..217A |via=ResearchGate}}</ref>

== Symbionts and parasites ==
Juveniles of species of king crabs, including ''[[Neolithodes diomedeae]]'', use a species (''[[Scotoplanes]] Sp. A'') of [[sea cucumber]] (often known as "sea pigs") as [[Symbiosis|hosts]] and can be found on top of and under ''Scotoplanes''. The ''Scotoplanes'' reduce the risk of predation for the ''N. diomedeae'', while the ''Scotoplanes'' are not harmed from being hosts, which supports the consensus that the two organisms have a [[commensalism|commensal]] relationship.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Barry |first1=James P. |last2=Taylor |first2=Josi R. |last3=Kuhnz |first3=Linda A. |last4=DeVogelaere |first4=Andrew P. |date=2016-10-15 |title=Symbiosis between the holothurian ''Scotoplanes'' sp. A and the lithodid crab ''Neolithodes diomedeae'' on a featureless bathyal sediment plain |journal=Marine Ecology |volume=38 |issue=2 |page=e12396 |doi=10.1111/maec.12396 |eissn=1439-0485}}</ref> Endosymbiotic microorganisms of the order Eccrinida have been found in ''[[Paralithodes camtschaticus]]'' and ''[[Lithodes maja]]'', living in their [[hindgut]] between molts.<ref name="Pavlova 2018">{{cite journal|year=2018|last=Pavlova|first=L.V.|title=First Finding of Representatives of the Eccrinida Order in the Digestive Tract of King Crab Specie from the Barents Sea|journal=Doklady Biological Sciences|volume=483|issue=1 |issn=0012-4966|doi=10.1134/S0012496618060066|pmid=30603945|pages=231–234}}</ref>

Some species of king crab, including those of the genera ''[[Lithodes]]'', ''[[Neolithodes]]'', ''[[Paralithodes]]'', and likely ''[[Echidnocerus]]'', act as [[Host (biology)|hosts]] to some [[Parasitism|parasitic]] species of [[careproctus]] fish.<ref name="Gardner et al. 2016">{{cite journal |last1=Gardner |first1=Jennifer |last2=Orr |first2=James |last3=Stevenson |first3=Duane |last4=Spies |first4=Ingrid |last5=Somerton |first5=David |title=Reproductive Parasitism between Distant Phyla: Molecular Identification of Snailfish (Liparidae) Egg Masses in the Gill Cavities of King Crabs (Lithodidae) |journal= Copeia|date=August 15, 2016 |volume=104 |issue=3 |pages=645–657 |url=https://bioone.org/journals/copeia/volume-104/issue-3/CI-15-374/Reproductive-Parasitism-between-Distant-Phyla--Molecular-Identification-of-Snailfish/10.1643/CI-15-374.short |access-date=October 19, 2021 |doi=10.1643/CI-15-374|s2cid=89241686 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> The careproctus lays eggs in the gill chamber of the king crab which serves as a well-protected and aerated area for the eggs to reside until they hatch.<ref name="Gardner et al. 2016" /> On occasion king crabs have been found to be host to the eggs of multiple species of careproctus simultaneously.<ref name="Gardner et al. 2016" /> King crabs are additionally parasitized by [[rhizocephala]]n genus ''Briarosaccus'', a type of barnacle.<ref name="Noever 2017">{{Cite thesis |last=Noever |first=Christoph |title=Coevolution between king crabs (Paguridae: Lithodinae) and parasitic barnacles (Cirripedia: Rhizocephala) |date=27 January 2017 |access-date=15 October 2024 |degree=Doctoral |publisher=[[University of Bergen]] |url=https://bora.uib.no/bora-xmlui/handle/1956/16605}}</ref> The barnacle irreversibly sterilizes the crab, and over 50% of some king crab populations are affected.<ref name="Noever 2017" />

==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|Crustaceans}}
* {{Portal-inline|Marine life}}
* [[Alaskan king crab fishing]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Poore |first1=Gary C. B. |title=Marine Decapod Crustacea: A Guide to Families and Genera of the World |last2=Ahyong |first2=Shane T. |author-link2=Shane T. Ahyong |chapter=Anomura |pages=311–317 |publisher=CRC Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-4863-1178-1}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book|editor-last=Stevens|editor-first=Bradley G.|title=King Crabs of the World: Biology and Fisheries Management|publisher=CRC Press|year=2014|isbn=978-1-4398-5542-3|doi=10.1201/b16664|edition=1st}}

==External links==
* {{Wiktionary-inline|king crab}}

{{Lithodidae}}
{{Decapoda}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q1861297}}

[[Category:King crabs| ]]
[[Category:Alaskan cuisine]]
[[Category:Edible crustaceans]]