Atlantic horseshoe crab
The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus), also known as the American horseshoe crab, is a species of horseshoe crab, a kind of marine and brackish chelicerate arthropod. It is found in the Gulf of Mexico and along the Atlantic coast of North America. The main area of annual migration is Delaware Bay along the South Jersey Delaware Bayshore.
| Atlantic horseshoe crab | |
|---|---|
| St. Lucie County Aquarium, Florida | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Chelicerata |
| Order: | Xiphosura |
| Family: | Limulidae |
| Genus: | Limulus |
| Species: | L. polyphemus |
| Binomial name | |
| Limulus polyphemus | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Monoculus polyphemus Linnaeus, 1758 | |
Their eggs were eaten by Native Americans, but today Atlantic horseshoe crabs are caught for use as fishing bait, in biomedicine (especially for Limulus amebocyte lysate) and science. They play a major role in the local ecosystems, with their eggs providing an important food source for shorebirds, and the juveniles and adults being eaten by sea turtles.
The other three extant (living) species in the family Limulidae are also called horseshoe crabs, but they are restricted to Asia. Despite the name, horseshoe crabs are more closely related to arachnids like spiders and scorpions than they are to crabs (or any crustacean).