IUCN SSC Horseshoe Crab Specialist Group
Overview and description
- Description:
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The four extant species of horseshoe crabs are imperilled, because of overfishing for use as food, bait, production of biomedical products derived from their blood, and because of habitat loss or ...
Group leadership
Prof Mark BOTTON
More about the Specialist Group
Horseshoe crabs are protected by the IUCN SSC's Horseshoe Crab Specialist group through cooperative efforts to conserve their populations and habitats, and by advocating for public awareness of their importance in the study of evolution, marine coastal ecology, and biomedicine.
Specialist Group work
The American horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is listed as Vulnerable, there are three Asian species, the tri-spine horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus) is Endangered, the coastal horseshoe crab (T. gigas) and mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda), are listed as Data Deficient. We expect that our current activities will lead to a change in this status.
HCSG on the IUCN Red List
To inform conservation efforts, HCSG assesses species for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
HCSG Annual Report
Learn about HCSG’s work and results in 2023.
Previous reports:
2022 HCSG Annual Report
2021 HCSG Annual Report
2020 HCSG Annual Report
2018 HCSG Annual Report
2016-2017 HCSG Annual Report