King crab

King crabs are large marine decapod crustaceans in the family Lithodidae. Several species are commercially harvested, including the red king crab.

Lithodidae: Lithodidae is a family of anomuran crustaceans that includes king crabs and stone crabs. This family contains the species grouped under the common name king crab.
Red king crab: Paralithodes camtschaticus is a large king crab native to the North Pacific and widely harvested commercially. It is the best-known king crab species and supports major Alaska fisheries.
Ecdysis: Ecdysis is the shedding of an arthropod’s old exoskeleton as it grows or changes developmental stage. King crabs must molt to increase in size, leaving them temporarily soft and vulnerable.
Crab fishery: A crab fishery is the capture and management of crab populations for food or other products. King crab harvest is one specialized branch of commercial crab fishing.
Invasive species: An invasive species is a non-native organism whose spread causes ecological, economic, or other harm. Introduced red king crabs have expanded in parts of the Barents Sea and raised ecological concerns.
Anomura: Anomura is a decapod crustacean group that includes hermit crabs, squat lobsters, and king crabs. King crabs belong to this group, rather than to the true-crab group Brachyura.
Blue king crab: Paralithodes platypus is a large North Pacific king crab with a blue-tinged shell and legs. It is a commercially harvested relative of the red king crab.
Crustacean larva: A crustacean larva is an early developmental stage that differs in form from the adult. King crabs hatch as planktonic larvae before settling and developing into benthic juveniles.
Alaska king crab fishing: Alaska king crab fishing is a regulated commercial fishery for king crab species in Alaskan waters. Its seasons, catch limits, and closures are shaped by assessments of crab abundance.
Barents Sea: The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean north of Norway and Russia. The red king crab’s establishment there has altered fisheries and prompted debate over control.

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