King crabs are a taxon of decapod crustaceans that are chiefly found in cold seas. Because of their large size and the taste of their meat, many species are widely caught and sold as food with the most common being the red king crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus).
King crabs are generally thought to be derived from hermit crab ancestors within the Paguridae, which may explain the asymmetry still found in the adult forms.[2] This ancestry is supported by several anatomical peculiarities which are present only in king crabs and hermit crabs.[3] Although some doubt still exists about this hypothesis, king crabs are the most widely quoted example of carcinisation among the Decapoda.[3] The evidence for this explanation comes from the asymmetry of the king crab's abdomen, which is thought to reflect the asymmetry of hermit crabs, which must fit into a spiral shell.
Although formerly classified among the hermit crabs in the superfamily Paguroidea, king crabs are now placed in a separate superfamily, Lithodoidea.[1]This is not without controversy, as there is widespread consensus in the scientific community that king crabs are derived from hermit crabs and closely related to pagurid hermit crabs; therefore, a separate superfamily in the classification poorly reflects the phylogenetic relationship of this taxon.[3][4]
Glyptolithodes is found chiefly in the Southern Hemisphere, but extending as far north as California, although all its closest relatives live in the Northern Hemisphere. Its single species, G. cristatipes, was originally placed in the genus Rhinolithodes.
Red (P. camtschaticus) and blue (P. platypus) king crabs are some of the most important fisheries in Alaska. However, populations have fluctuated in the past 25 years, and some areas are currently closed due to overfishing. The two species are similar in size, shape and life history.[7][8][9] Habitat is the main factor separating the range of blue and red king crabs in the Bering Sea.[10] Red king crabs prefer shallow, muddy or sandy habitats in Bristol Bay and Norton Sound,[10][11] while blue king crabs prefer the deeper areas made up of cobble, gravel and rock that occur around the Pribilof, St. Matthew,[12][13] St. Lawrence, and Diomede Islands.
Red king crabs have an 11-month brood cycle in their first reproductive year and a 12-month cycle thereafter.[9] Both red and blue king crabs have planktotrophic larvae that undergo 4 zoeal stages in the water column and a non-feeding intermediate glaucothoe stage which seeks appropriate habitat on the sea floor.