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oyster crab

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noun
  1. a pea crab, Pinnotheres ostreum, the female of which lives as a commensal within the mantle cavity of oysters.
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Origin of oyster crab

First recorded in 1750–60
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for oyster crab

Historical Examples

  • The oyster-crab is a true messmate, and its presence in the oyster may be advantageous in helping to provide food for its host.

    The Sea-beach at Ebb-tide

    Augusta Foote Arnold

British Dictionary definitions for oyster crab

oyster crab

noun
  1. any of several small soft-bodied crabs of the genus Pinnotheres, esp P. ostreum, that live as commensals in the mantles of oysters
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012