Porcellana sayana
species of Malacostraca
Porcellana sayana is a species of porcelain crab that lives in the western Atlantic Ocean, often as a commensal of hermit crabs. It is red with white spots, and has a characteristic bulge behind each claw.
Distribution
Porcellana sayana is found along the western coast of the Atlantic Ocean, from Cape Hatteras (United States) to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea.
Description
Porcellana sayana is 13 millimetres (0.51 in) long, and is red, with numerous whitish spots. It may be distinguished from other species by the form of the first pereiopod; the carpus (last segment before the claw) of that leg bears a lobe which projects forwards. It has a fringe of setae along the front of its claws, which it uses in filter feeding.
Ecology
Porcellana sayana lives in shallow water, at depths of up to 92 metres (302 ft), among rocks and oyster shells, or as a commensal of the hermit crabs Pagurus pollicaris and Petrochirus diogenes. Like another porcelain crab, Petrolisthes galathinus, Porcellana sayana is parasitised by the bopyrid isopod Aporobopyrus curtatus, which lives in the porcelain crab's gill chamber.
Taxonomy
Porcellana sayana was first described by William Elford Leach in 1820 as Pisidia sayana. Its common names include "spotted porcelain crab" and "Say's porcellanid".
“Porcellana sayana” enters the record as species of Malacostraca. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Porcellana, sayana and species can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Porcellana sayana” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Porcellana, sayana and species provides the most credible route into that argument.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 14, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4480511. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1820.
A general summary may omit uncertainty, sample limits or methodological disagreement that is explicit in the technical record. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Porcellana sayana”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Porcellana sayana primary sources, Porcellana sayana archive and Porcellana research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Porcellana sayana”?
- Has classification or technical consensus changed since the cited source?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Porcellana sayana” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.