Hargran's Crab

Is that a toadstool on legs?

Found slowly scuttling through the thick undergrowth of the Lutinia Forest, Hargran's crab is an odd beast. While it superficially looks and moves like an air breathing land crab, Hargran's crab is in actuality a fungus. It is considered to be the most extreme example of carcinisation, a form of convergent evolution towards a crab-like body plan.
Unlike other fungi, Hargran's crab forgoes extensive networks of subterranean mycelium and instead exists as a self-contained organism with a soft chitin exoskeleton.
Hargran's crab is a saprovore, scooping up decaying leaf litter and small twigs from the forest floor into its mouth. Its gastrointestinal system is extremely rudimentary, consisting only of a mouth opening and a stomach-like sack. Organic plant materials placed in this "stomach", such as leaf litter and small bits of wood, become infested with the crab's fungal hyphae and nutrients are absorbed. Material not digested in this way is gradually pulled through the crab's mycelium-like internal tissues and are gradually incorporated into its soft chitin exoskeleton, and eventually discarded when the crab grows and molts.
Hargran's crab has an extremely rudimentary nervous system, which seems to be capable of responding to only the most basic of stimuli. It is known to be able to sense and respond to light, humidity, pools of water when it steps into them, decaying organic matter beneath it, and objects it bumps into.

Mother Nature is so obsessed with crabs, she turned a mushroom into one.

Reproduction occurs between late summer and mid-autumn. A large veil begins to form on its back, white mottled with tan or ochre. After about two weeks, the veil tears open and a large fruiting body emerges on a rapidly growing stalk. The sporocarp matures into a wide, creamy coloured cap mottled with tan or ochre. The gills on the underside of the cap have a spongy structure and texture akin to a bolete fungus.
The crab slowly sheds its spores as it scuttles though the undergrowth, and knocking against brush and low branches will dislodge spores faster. Spores bind to soft, decaying plant matter, and will start to put down hyphae and mycelium. Over the span of three to four months, the mycelium network will absorb nutrients and will start to bud with an "egg". This "egg" will hatch into a tiny juvenile crab.
Hargran's crab is technically edible, but its flesh is said to to have an unpleasant, mushy texture with little flavour. Most people travelling through the region will prefer to eat almost anything else first.

Scientific Name

Boletaceae Hargrani

Lifespan

4 years

Average Height

30 centimetres

Average Weight

1 kg

Geographic Distribution

• Lutinia Forest