Limulus polyphemus   (Linnaeus, 1758)

Horseshoe crab

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Limulus polyphemus  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Limulus polyphemus

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Merostomata | Xiphosura | Limulidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Benthic; depth range 3 - 11 m (Ref. 76).  Tropical, preferred 24°C (Ref. 107945)

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Western Atlantic: from Maine, USA to Mexico.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 60.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 82); max. published weight: 1.8 kg (Ref. 82); max. reported age: 20 years (Ref. 99652)

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

The males are approximately 1/3 the size of the females (sexual dimorphism) (Ref. 83).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

They reproduce with the use of the first pair of the six, flap-like appendages on the underside of the abdomen acts as a cover for the genital pore. The egg or sperm are released through this pore during spawning (Ref. 75). These eggs are fertilized by sperm released by an attached male and by one or more satellite males that typically congregate around the nesting pair (Ref. 81). While nesting, females bury themselves in the sediment near the water's edge and lay a series of discrete egg clusters, each containing 2,000-20,000 eggs (Ref. 80).

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Lee, C.N. and B. Morton. 2005. (Ref. 1131)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A3bd); Date assessed: 17 February 2016

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings | FIRMS (Stock assessments) | FishSource | Sea Around Us

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Trophic Ecology
Food items
Diet
Food consumption
Ration
Predators
Ecology
Ecology
Home ranges
Population dynamics
Growth
Age/Size
Length-weight
Length-length
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Recruitment
Abundance
Life cycle
Reproduction
Maturity
Fecundity
Spawning
Eggs
Egg development
Larvae
Larval dynamics
Human Related
Aquaculture profile
Stamps, Coins Misc.
Outreach
Taxonomy
References

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Fisheries: ; publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 12.5 - 28, mean 26.7 (based on 417 cells).
Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): High to very high vulnerability (66 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Low.
Nutrients :  Calcium = 126 [75, 177] mg/100g; Iron = 4.79 [1.67, 7.92] mg/100g; Protein = 16.6 [15.4, 17.8] %; Omega3 = 0.331 [0.263, 0.400] g/100g; Selenium = 57.8 [48.5, 67.2] μg/100g; VitaminA = 0 μg/100g; Zinc = 1.97 [0.92, 3.02] mg/100g (wet weight); based on nutrient studies.