Neolithodes brodiei facts for kids

Neolithodes brodiei is a species of king crab which is native to New Zealand and its adjacent waters. It lives at a depth of 500–1,240 metres (1,640–4,070 ft) but is typically found within a depth of 950–1,150 metres (3,120–3,770 ft). It has a deep-red colour, and its carapace has many small spinules along with larger spines. It is classified as "Not Threatened" by the New Zealand Department of Conservation.

Misidentifications

In 2001, a paper was published in Zoosystema which claimed to have found a specimen of N. brodiei in Vanuatu; however, this was later determined to be a yet-undescribed species. Likewise, a 2005 paper in Polar Biology claimed to have found four specimens off the Balleny Islands in the Southern Ocean, but these were misidentified and were later determined to be a new species called Neolithodes yaldwyni.

Etymology

"Neolithodes" is derived from Greek and Latin and means "new stone-crab", while "brodiei" takes its namesake from J. W. Brodie, then-Director of the New Zealand Oceanographic Institute.