Population structure, maturity and relative growth of the porcelain crab Pachycheles laevidactylus Ortmann, 1892 (Decapoda, Porcellanidae) in a temperate zone

Abstract

The anomuran family Porcellanidae Haworth, 1825 occurs worldwide in tropical and temperate marine habitats, especially in intertidal and subtidal zones (Ferreira & Melo, 2016;Osawa & McLaughlin, 2010). The family comprises around 30 genera and 280 species described (Bezerra et al., 2019). Most porcelain crab species are free-living and can be found on rocky shores, coral reefs and estuarine areas (Veloso, 1999). Some display symbiotic relationships with other organisms, both free-living such as shrimps, hermit crabs, turtles and fishes (