King crab (Tarabagani) - Paralithodes camtschaticus

Japanese: タラバガニ(鱈場蟹) - タラバガニ（英語表記）Paralithodes camtschaticus

A cold-water crustacean of the red king crab family, one of the most important species in the fishing industry (illustration). When a cod fisherman was a little lazy while pulling up his net, it dropped to the bottom of the sea. When he hurriedly pulled it up after a while, he found an unfamiliar crab caught in it. This is said to be the beginning of red king crab fishing, and the name comes from this. It is said that for some time after that, the crab was not used and was discarded. It is clearly crab-shaped, and its English name is king crab, and its Japanese name is also kani. However, due to characteristics such as the female's asymmetrical abdomen, with abdominal limbs only on the left side, and the last thoracic leg being small and inserted into the gill chamber, it is classified as a hermit crab (anomura) rather than a crab (brachyura).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

寒海性のタラバガニ科の甲殻類で，水産業上の最重要種の一つ（イラスト）。タラ漁の漁船員が，網をあげるときにちょっとなまけていて，網が海底に降りてしまい，しばらくしてあわてて引きあげたところ，見慣れないカニがかかっていた。これがタラバガニ漁の初めといわれ，名もこれによる。その後しばらくは利用されず捨てられていたといわれる。明らかにカニ形で，英名はking crab，和名もカニがあてられているが，雌の腹部が左右不相称で，左側にのみ腹肢があること，最後の胸脚が小さくて鰓室（さいしつ）にさし込まれていることなどの特徴から分類学的にはカニ類(短尾類)ではなく，ヤドカリ類(異尾類)に含められる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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