 Species in the genus are economically damaging to commercial crab fisheries, including causing bitter crab disease in the large Tanner or snow crab fisheries of the Bering Sea.Introduction

"Hematodinium" is a harmful parasitic dinoflagellate in marine decapod crustaceans, often dwelling in the hemolymph of host organisms .Drastic changes in the host’s vital organs, tissues, and hemolymph lead to the degeneration of the organism .