FAMILY : XANTHIDAE
Zosimus aeneus Linne 1758

Like some other members of the Xanthidae family, this species is HIGHLY TOXIC if eaten and contains toxins which cause the disease known as Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning(PSP). There is no known antidote. An individual crab of this species, which can attain 10cm across the carapace, is reported to contain enough toxin to kill hundreds of people. The "parent" of the Paralytic Shellfish Toxin, Saxitoxin, is one of the most potent neurotoxins known and, gram for gram, is 1000 times more deadly than cyanide. It is so deadly that it is listed as a schedule 1 chemical weapon under the United Nations Chemical Weapons Convention, along with mustard and sarin gas!!!!

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