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Horseshoe Crab- Marine Living Fossil

Context: 

Recently,Environmental groups petitioned the U.S. government seeking protection for the American horseshoe crab, a “living fossil”.

About Horseshoe Crab

  • These are Marine and brackish water arthropods belonging to the Limulidae family.
  • Ancient Origins : Thrived for over 450 million years, predating dinosaurs. 
  • Appearance:
    • It resembles prehistoric crabs, but closer relatives are scorpions and spiders. 
  • Habitat : They prefer shallow coastal waters with soft sandy or muddy bottoms.
    • Spawning: They migrate to intertidal beaches for spawning, primarily during summer-spring high tides. 
      • This timing ensures their eggs are deposited in moist sand, essential for development.

Horseshoe Crab

  • Type of Horseshoe Crab Species & Habitat  

    • Atlantic or American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus): 
      • Found on the Atlantic coast of the US and the Southeast Gulf of Mexico. 
      • IUCN Status: Vulnerable
    • Tri-spine horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus):
      • Coastal waters of Odisha (India), southeast Asia, China, and Japan. 
      • IUCN: Endangered
    • Coastal horseshoe crab (Tachypleus gigas): Similar range as the tri-spine species.
    • Mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda): Found in mangrove habitats of Southeast Asia.
Concerns with their Medical Use : 

  • Pharmaceutical companies reap horseshoe crabs in large numbers for their bright blue blood which contains a special clotting agent limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) which detects a contaminant called endotoxin
    • It is used to test vaccines, drugs and medical devices to ensure that they aren’t contaminated with dangerous bacterial toxins. 

Threats

  • They face threats due to Commercial Harvest for food, bait & Biomedical Use and Habitat loss : Coastal Reclamation & Development, Shoreline Alteration, Climate change etc

Conservation Efforts To Horseshoe Crab

  • In India: Placed in Schedule IV of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 in 2009.
    •  This inclusion means that catching and killing a horseshoe crab is an offense. 
  • IUCN Status

    • It placed them into the Red list of Threatened species.
    • It observes International Horseshoe crab Day on 20th June.

What are Living Fossils ?

  • Living fossils are the species that have survived for millions of years, retaining identical traits to their ancestors from ancient times. 
    • These organisms are offering invaluable clues about the evolutionary journey and the ecological landscape of ancient Earth.

Other Examples of Living Fossils

  • Coelacanth: It was rediscovered in 1938 off the coast of South Africa. 
    • This deep-sea fish, characterised by its lobed fins functioning somewhat akin to limbs. 
  • Ginkgo Biloba: Sole surviving member of an ancient group of plants. 
    • Its distinctive fan-shaped leaves have remained unchanged for millions of years. 
  • Wollemi Pine: Unearthed in 1994 in Australia, the Wollemi Pine is a rare plant.
  • Tuatara: Exclusive to New Zealand, the tuatara is a reptilian species.

 

Also Read: New Marine Amphipod Species Found In Chilika Lake

News Source: The Hindu

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