Ozius deplanatus
| Black finger crab | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Oziidae |
| Genus: | Ozius |
| Species: | O. deplanatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Ozius deplanatus | |
| Synonyms[1] | |
|
Xantho deplanatus White, 1847 | |
Ozius deplanatus, commonly known as the black finger crab and the iron crab, is a species of crab found in New Zealand and Australia.[2][3]
Distribution
[edit]It is common around the North Island of New Zealand.[2] Found in Australia from Eastern Victoria to New South Wales, on Flinders Island and the Kent Group.[3][4] It is also found on Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island.[4]
Habitat
[edit]_sitting_on_rock.jpg)
O. deplanatus is found under boulders and among stones in the lower to mid tidal regions of the intertidal zone on sheltered rocky and gravel shores.[2][5][6]
It is distributed sparsely, with one individual per 5 m2.[2]
Description
[edit]Adults average 57 mm (2.2 in) in size with a flattened oval-shaped carapace that is wide in the front with blunt lobed edges. This can be a rusty red to chocolate brown colour with light mottling. Underside may be a paler cream colour.[3] The antennae are dark red to brown. Claws are large with a smooth texture.[3] Fingers may be black or brown in colour.[2] Walking legs are pale red with golden setae or hairs.[2]
Behaviour and diet
[edit]The black finger crab is a scavenger.[6] It feeds on snails, half-crabs and hermit crabs. It is known to chip away at the shells of larger snails before grasping the animal with its mouth-parts. Smaller snails are crushed by the crab's large claws. It also feeds on limpets and chitons by using the tip of its claw to remove them from a rock.[2]
It will spread its claws when started or threatened.[2]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Ozius deplanatus (White, 1847)". DecaNet. World Register of Marine Species. 2025. Retrieved 17 December 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Carson, Sally; Morris, Rod (2017). Collins Field Guide to the New Zealand Seashore. Harper Collins Publishers (New Zealand). ISBN 978-1-7755-4010-6.
- 1 2 3 4 Wilkens, Serena; Ahyong, Shane (2015). Coastal Crabs: a Guide to the Crabs of New Zealand (PDF). NIWA Taihoro Nukurangi.
- 1 2 Edgar, Graham. (2012). Australian marine life : the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed New Holland. ISBN 9781921517174. OCLC 793720774.
- ↑ Bennett, Edward William (1964). The marine fauna of New Zealand: Crustacea Brachyura. RE Owen, Government Printer.
- 1 2 "Crab, Black Fingered". www.marinelife.ac.nz. Retrieved 2019-09-29.