Porcelain crabs are decapodcrustaceans in the family Porcellanidae, which superficially resemble true crabs. They are a good example of carcinization, whereby a non-crab-like animal (in this case a relative of a squat lobster) evolves into an animal that only a specialist would know is not a true crab. They live in all the world's oceans, except the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic. Scientific classification or biological classification refers to how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ... Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Bilateria Acoelomorpha Orthonectida Rhombozoa ? Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ... Orders Not necessarily a complete list: Leptostraca Stomatopoda Bathynellacea Thermosbaenacea Mysidacea Cumacea Amphipoda Isopoda Tanaidacea Euphausiacea Amphionidacea Decapoda Peracarida The Malacostraca are the largest subgroup of crustaceans, and include most of the animals that non-experts recognise as crustaceans, including the decapods (such as crabs, mole crabs, lobsters and true... Suborders Either suborders: Natantia Reptantia or suborders: Dendrobranchiata Pleocyemata The decapods or Decapoda are a group of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca. ... Infraorders Caridea Stenopodidea Reptantia, divided into: Polychelida Achelata Glypheoidea Astacidea Thalassinidea Anomala Brachyura Pleocyemata is a sub-order of decapod crustaceans, erected by Martin Burkenroad in 1963. ... Superfamilies Lomisoidea Lomisidae Paguroidea Coenobitidae Diogenidae Lithodidae Paguridae Parapaguridae Galatheoidea Aeglidae Chirostylidae Galatheidae Porcellanidae Hippoidea Albuneidae Hippidae Anomura (sometimes Anomala) are a group of decapod crustaceans, including hermit crabs and others. ... Suborders Either suborders: Natantia Reptantia or suborders: Dendrobranchiata Pleocyemata The decapods or Decapoda are a group of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca. ... Classes Remipedia Cephalocarida Branchiopoda Ostracoda Maxillopoda Malacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum. ... Sections Dromiacea Raninoida Heterotremata Thoracotremata The term crab is sometimes applied to several different groups of short (nose to tail) decapods with thick exoskeletons, but only members of the Brachyura are true crabs; other taxa, such as hermit crabs, porcelain crabs, king crabs, and horseshoe crabs are, despite superficial similarities... The Arctic Ocean, located mostly in the north polar region, is the smallest of the worlds five oceans, and the shallowest. ... Greek ἀνταρκτικός, opposite the arctic) is a continent surrounding the Earths South Pole. ...
References
Porcelain crab info (http://crustacea.net/crustace/anomura/www/porcella.htm) from crustacea.net
Porcelaincrabs can be distinguished from the true crabs by the apparent number of walking legs (three instead of four pairs, the fourth pair is actually hidden under the carapace), the apparent lack of a wrist (carpal) segment on the chelipeds, and long antennae originating on the front outside of the eye stalks.
The abdomen of the porcelaincrab is long and folded underneath it, free to move.
Porcelaincrabs share the general body plan of a squat lobster (Galatheidae), but their bodies are more compact and flattened, an adaptation for living and hiding under rocks, as well as squeezing into little nooks and crannies.
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