Limulus polyphemus

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Atlantic horseshoe crab
French : Limule Atlantique

Classification
Class : Merostomata
Order : Xiphosurida
Family : Limulidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Front part of body resembles a horse’s hoof in shape. Total length is 60 cm for females, much less for males. Back part of body has sharp spines and long thin tail. Coloration uniform olive-brown with orange to yellow underside.

Range and habitat
Western Atlantic Ocean from New England to Gulf of Mexico and Yucatan Peninsula. Only occurs on sandy and muddy bottoms at depth down to 10 meters.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : VULNERABLE
CITES : Not listed
Status : This species has been intensively hunted and killed in the past as it was wrongly believed to be destructive to fisheries. Now protected but still declining.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

Back to “Crustaceans and Horseshoe Crabs” page