RARE CRAB SPECIMENS FOUND IN COOK STRAIT

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27875, 25 January 1956, Page 12

RARE CRAB SPECIMENS FOUND IN COOK STRAIT

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, January 24. For five years, Wellington’s deep-sea research team from Victoria University College have been seeking a large crab, of a type so far found nowhere else in the world. Last week they found what they sought. “Pieces of the crab—a quaint type

which rejoices in the class name of oxryncha or spider crab, have been coming in for five years from Cook Strait, said Professor L. R. Richardson today. “The first incomplete specimens we got came from the stomachs of deepsea sharks caught well out to sea from Pailiser Bay. Commercial trawlers, cooperating with us, have brought us good specimens of the female of the type from Cook Strait. “From this, we knew we had struck a crab for which we could find no description in scientific literature. But until we had a complete male of the species we held our peace, and said and wrote nothing.” Last week, on one of the two occasions when sea conditions and winds allowed, the 46ft diesel trawler Regina took the zoologists out into Cook Strait, and trawled 100 fathoms down. ‘For about 20 seconds, the trawl ♦ bottom on a submarine hillock at 100 fathoms, when we were supposed to be over a 200-fathom sea X«!l ey ’ ’ said Professor Richardson. When we hauled it in, we had eight of this unknown species of crab, including the first complete undamaged male specimen we have seen.” In weeks of hard work—including one week-end of 72 hours when Professor Richardson had two hours’ sleep and his team worked with him—they caught between 150 and 200 different species.

The collation, identification, and description of much of what we caught in the harbour will allow us to fill out our knowledge of little-known though common species,” Professor Richardson said. “This will take about three years.”