Pitho

Pitho
Pitho iherminieri from Guadeloupe
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Mithracidae
Genus: Pitho
Bell, 1836
Type species
Pitho sexdentata
Bell, 1836

Pitho is a genus of spider crabs in the family Mithracidae.

Description

Crabs in the genus Pitho have carapaces that are wide and truncated in the front and come to a rounded point at the rear. The rostrum is short and comes to two teeth. The antennae are short and surrounded by straight, stiff hairs. The chelipeds are partially spoon-shaped and relatively long, similar to other spider crabs.

Distribution

In the Atlantic Ocean, members of the genus Pitho are found from Beaufort, North Carolina to Cape St. Roque, Brazil, including in the Gulf of Mexico. Pacific species are range from Magdalena Bay, California to Panama. They are also found around the Galapagos Islands.

List of species

There are currently 10 accepted species within the genus:

References

  1. 1 2 "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Pitho Bell, 1836". www.marinespecies.org. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  2. 1 2 Rathbun, MJ (1925). The Spider Crabs of America. U.S. Government Printing Office.
  3. ↑ "Massive Urn Crab (Pitho aculeata) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  4. ↑ "Oval Urn Crab (Pitho anisodon) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  5. ↑ "Eggshell Urn Crab (Pitho laevigata) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2026-08-27.
  6. ↑ "Broadback Urn Crab (Pitho lherminieri) | U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service". www.fws.gov. Retrieved 2026-08-27.