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Which horseshoe crab species was classified as endangered by the IUCN in 2018?
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horseshoe crab
Horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus).
The Japanese horseshoe crab (Tachypleus tridentatus), also known as the tri-spine horseshoe crab, was classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2018.1
This species faces significant threats from human harvesting for food and the biomedical industry, as well as habitat loss, egg smuggling, and accidental capture in fishing nets. Protecting these ancient marine arthropods is an ethical imperative, as their populations are increasingly vulnerable to human-driven environmental pressures.1