Lithodidae
- noun
- /ˌlɪθəˈdaɪə/
- Specialized
- The Lithodidae family includes several species of king crabs.
Examples
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Several species within the Lithodidae are harvested commercially as king crabs.
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The Lithodidae family includes some of the largest crabs found in the deep sea.
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Scientists study Lithodidae to better understand how organisms adapt to cold, deep-sea environments.
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Many chefs enjoy cooking with Lithodidae because of their rich flavor.
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Scientists study Lithodidae to better understand how organisms adapt to cold, deep-sea environments.
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Several species within the Lithodidae are harvested commercially as king crabs.
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The Lithodidae family includes some of the largest crabs found in the deep sea.
Synonyms
A family of crabs that live deep in cold seas, including king crabs
Compounds
- Specialized
A family of crabs that live deep in cold seas, including king crabs
Surface Forms
Morphology
Lithodidae = Lithodes (opaque) = Lithod + idae
Taxonomic family names formed with '-idae' use a stem alteration (Lithod- from Lithodes) and the scientific suffix is not meaningful to average learners.
Etymology
Lithodidae comes from the Greek part litho- meaning 'stone' and the scientific ending -idae meaning 'family'. That's why the name fits these deep-sea 'king crabs' with very hard, stone-like shells that live on cold, rocky sea floors.