Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Cryptosoma bairdii
cangrejo caja de corazon, Shameface heartcrabs
C. garthi bears close resemblance to C. bairdii; however, it is distinguished from the latter in its colour pattern, having sharply converging posterolateral margins, somewhat rougher carapace, obtuse rather than acuminate tooth proximally on chela, and a beaded line rather than an unevenly granulate ridge parallel to lower margin of chela (Galil & Clark, 1996).
Hidden in sand.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Malacostraca
Order
Decapoda
Suborder
Pleocyemata
Superfamily
Calappoidea
Family
Calappidae
Genus
Cryptosoma
Species
bairdii
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Cycloes bairdii var. atlantica Verrill, 1908, Cyclois bairdii Stimpson, 1860 (Horton et al., 2021), Cycloes bairdii (Stimpson, 1860) (Garth, 1991). Note: Cyclois bairdii Stimpson, 1860 is now considered a synonym, the combination has been suppressed; based on the Parental relationship of Cyclois De Haan, 1837 accepted as Cycloes De Haan, 1837 (Horton et al., 2021).
Origin: Native
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: (C. bairdii) Eastern Pacific, Gulf of California, Panamic and Atlantic (Garth, 1991). West coast of Mexico, islands of the eastern Pacific, and the Galapagos Islands (Hickman & Zimmerman, 2000).
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- Galil, B. S. Clark, P. F. (1996) A revision of Cryptosoma Brullé, 1837 and Cycloes de Haan, 1837 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Calappidae) Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 117(2), 175–204. https://doi.org/10.1006/zjls.1996.0036
- Garth, J.S. (1991) Taxonomy, Distribution, and Ecology of Galápagos. Brachyura. In: James, M.J. (ed.): Galápagos Marine Invertebrates. Taxonomy, Biogeography, and Evolution in Darwin's Islands. Plenum Press. New York and London, p. 123-155.
- Hickman, C.P. Jr. Zimmerman, T.L. (2000) A Field Guide to Crustaceans of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 156 pp.
- Horton, T. Horton, T., Kroh, A., Ahyong, S., Bailly, N., Boyko, C. B., Brandão, S. N., Gofas, S., Hooper, J. N. A., Hernandez, F., Holovachov, O., Mees, J., Molodtsova, T. N., Paulay, G., Decock, W., Dekeyzer, S., Poffyn, G., Vandepitte, L., Vanhoorne, B., Adlard, R., ... Zhao, Z. (2021) World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ.
- IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Cryptosoma bairdii", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=8466. Accessed 4 June 2026.