spider-crab
Definition
- Noun:
- A type of crab with a long, slender body and long, thin legs, resembling a spider; specifically, any crab of the family Majidae (or Inachidae), characterized by a carapace that is often spiny or knobby and legs that are much longer than the body. These crabs are typically found in marine environments.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The spider-crab scuttled across the ocean floor, its legs moving like those of a spider. (A long-legged crab from the family Majidae.)
- Marine biologists study the spider-crab to understand its unique morphology and behavior. (A crab with a spider-like appearance.)
Advanced Usage
- "Spider-crab" is sometimes used informally to refer to any crab with unusually long, thin legs, but in scientific contexts, it specifically denotes members of the family Majidae (e.g., the Japanese spider-crab, , which has the largest leg span of any arthropod).
- The Japanese spider-crab can have a leg span of up to 3.8 meters. (A specific species of spider-crab with enormous legs.)
Variants and Related Words
Spider crab (n): a common alternative spelling (without the hyphen) for the same creature.
- A spider crab was caught in the net, its legs tangled. (A long-legged crab.)
Majid crab (n): a scientific term for any crab in the family Majidae, synonymous with spider-crab.
- Majid crabs are known for their slow movement and camouflage. (Spider-crabs as a taxonomic group.)
Synonyms
- Long-legged crab: a descriptive term emphasizing the leg length.
- Majid crab: the taxonomic synonym.
- Decorator crab: a common name for some spider-crabs that attach debris to their carapace for camouflage.
Related Idioms
- None commonly associated with "spider-crab" in English idioms. The word is primarily technical or descriptive.
Additional Notes
- The hyphen in "spider-crab" indicates that the word is a compound noun, combining "spider" (an arachnid) and "crab" (a crustacean), to describe the crab's spider-like appearance. In modern usage, the unhyphenated "spider crab" is more frequent.