Neolithodes capensis

Neolithodes capensis, also known as cape stone crab,^[2] is a species of king crab which is found in the Southern Ocean and the western Indian Ocean. It has been found to a depth of 660–3,200 metres (2,170–10,500 ft).^[3][4][5] They have been found near Cape Point,^[1] around the Crozet and Kerguelen Islands in the subantarctic,^[6] and in the Bellingshausen Sea on the Antarctic continental slope.^[7][8] In 2006, the description of a very similar species from the Ross Sea, N. yaldwyni, introduced the possibility that records from the Antarctic and subantarctic are not N. capensis.^[9][10]

Neolithodes capensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Lithodidae
Genus:	Neolithodes
Species:	N. capensis
Binomial name
Neolithodes capensis Stebbing, 1905[1]

Description

N. capensis has numerous spines covering the surfaces of its carapace, chelipeds, and walking legs.^[3] On its underside, thick spines are found on its abdomen, but these lessen in acuity after the second segment.^[3] In males, its carapace measures up to 131 mm (5.2 in) in length and 130 mm (5.1 in) in width.^[3] Its rostrum ranges from approximately 1⁄8 to 1⁄4 the length of its carapace.^[3] Its chelae and dactyli both bear small spines, and the fingers of its chelae additionally feature rows of setae tufts.^[3] It closely resembles N. yaldwyni, a king crab of the Southern Ocean.^[5]