Xiphosura
No. of specimens: 12
No. of species: 4
Types: 0
Horseshoe crabs are marine animals that live in shallow ocean waters but come onto shore to mate. They are considered ‘living fossils’ because of their origin some 450 million years ago and virtually unchanged morphology since the Silurian. Horseshoe crabs are distantly related to the arachnids (spiders and allies) but are much larger, with some species reaching up to 65 cm in body length. Four extant species are known and these are represented in the LIB collection. There are also some specimens that are used for teaching purposes and the public exhibition.
To the catalogue:
- Weidner, H., 1959: Die Entomologischen Sammlungen des Zoologischen Staatsinstituts und Zoologischen Museums Hamburg, I. Teil, Pararthropoda und Chelicerata I. - Mitt. hamb. zool. Mus. Inst., 57: 89-142. [ PDF ]