| Oregoniidae () |
| 15 cm CW (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 12 years |
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benthic; brackish; depth range 9 - 466 m |
| Pacific Ocean and Northwest Atlantic: from the Oregon coast north to Norton Sound and west to Hokkaido in Japan and the Russian coast of the Bering Sea. Polar to temperate. |
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| Maximum depth from Ref. 104115. Found in continental shelf. Epibenthic (Ref. 8740). Typically inhabits muddy substrates but also on sandy bottoms or on gravel in shallow waters. It feeds on clams, other crabs, barnacles, shrimps, polychaetes, ophiuroids, and fish. It is preyed on by demersal fish, skates, larger crabs, octopus, and sea otter. Migration: Offshore migration with age, primiparous females mate in shallow waters while multiparous females mate in deeper waters. Males move upward into the littoral zone during spring molt. Diseases: (1) Bitter crab disease, caused by a dinoflagellate of the genus Hematodinium; the dinoflagellate replaces the crab's blood cells, causing the shell to turn pinkish-ivory in color and imparts a bitter taste to the crabmeat. (2) Black mat syndrome, a fungal infection; black tar-like covering the crab's shell, also prevents molting and may cause death (Ref. 101937). |
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Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
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