Taxonomy of the Chinese mitten crab
The left claw of a male mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). Both the common name and scientific name of this species originate from the distinctive appearance of its claws.
The Chinese mitten crab is so-called because the setal mats covering its claws resemble mittens. Common names like this can cause confusion because they are local and not international.
Its scientific name, Eriocheir sinensis, is derived from the Greek and literally means ‘wool hand, the Chinese’.
Species authority
Henri Milne Edwards, a French naturalist, first described Eriocheir sinensis in 1853 in Annales des Sciences Naturelles, série 3, volume 20. This constitutes a valid indication according to the rules laid out in the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, 1999. Therefore the correct authority of the species is:
Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne Edwards, 1853
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Eriocheir sinensis classification
Read the full classification of Eriocheir sinensis, from phylum to species.
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Taxonomic history of Eriocheir sinensis
Learn more about Henri Milne Edwards and the taxonomic history of Eriocheir sinensis, including why a 1854 publication is often incorrectly cited as the authority for the species.
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Mitten crab systematics
Chinese mitten crabs belong to the Grapsoidea superfamily. Find out about the systematics of this taxon.
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Mitten crab relatives
Find out the number and names of species assigned to the genus Eriocheir, and about related genera.
Alternative local names for Eriocheir sinensis
- Britain: Chinese mitten crab
- France: crabe chinois
- Germany: Chinesische Wollhandkrabbe
- Holland: Chinese wolhandkrab
- Norway: Kinesisk ullhåndkrabbe
- Russia: kitaiskyi mohnatorukyi crab
Glossary
Classification: The process of establishing, defining and ranking taxa within a hierarchical series of groups.
Systematics: The classification of living organisms into hierarchical series of groups that emphasise their phylogenetic interrelationships.
Taxonomy: The theory and practice of describing, naming and classifying organisms.
Zoological nomenclature rules
Reference: International Code of Zoological Nomenclature Fourth Edition adopted by the International Union of Biological Sciences. London, International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature 1999. xxviii + 306