Chirostylidae Ortmann, 1892

Wicksten, Mary K., 2012, Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces 3371, Zootaxa 3371, pp. 1-307 : 143

Family Chirostylidae Ortmann, 1892

The Chirostylidae are deep-water crabs that superficially resemble the Galatheidae . All chirostylids have elongate chelipeds ending in slender, gaping fingers. They immediately can be distinguished from galatheids by the form of the telson. Baba & Haig (1990) gave a key to the five members of the genus Gastroptychus that occur in the eastern Pacific. Janet Haig provided the previously unpublished information and key given here.

Rice & Miller (1991) discussed several examples of commensalism between chirostylids and cnidarians and echinoderms. Both species of Gastroptychus from the northeastern Pacific associate with colonial cnidarians..