Maja crispata

(Risso, 1827)

Vernacular names
English : Lesser spider crab
French : Petite araignée de mer

Classification
Class : Malacostraca
Order : Decapoda
Family : Majidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Small spider crab with a triangular body, reaching a carapace length of 9 cm. Sides of carapace are very spiny, rostrum shows two elongated spines. Abdomen greatly reduced. Usually pinkish-white color when not camouflaged.

Range and habitat
The species is mostly found throughout the Mediterranean Sea but sometimes occurs in Eastern Atlantic from southern France to Senegal. Lives in rocky and algae-covered bottoms, close to shore, down to 100 m.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NOT LISTED
CITES : Not listed
Status : Its status hasn’t been assessed, so far it remains locally common but might be at risk from overfishing and habitat degradation.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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