Description: A small crab, with a rounded, longer than wide carapace, with tubercles and hairs, but without spines. Brown with reddish spots; underside of the body yellowish. Four similar pairs of walking legs, brown with longitudinal red stripes. Chelipeds not very enlarged, with a yellow and brown pattern.
Global Distribution: On both sides of the Atlantic. In the Eastern Atlantic, it occurs from Morocco to Angola; it is common in Madeira and the Canary Islands, but rare in the Azores.
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum carapace width 42 mm.
Age:
Weight length rel.:
Growth type:
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction: Off West Africa, ovigerous females have been collected in May, August to October, and December.
Maturity: Ovigerous females were found from 28 to 32 mm carapace length.
Behavioural ecology:
Population structure & migrations: Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations are genetically distinct and may constitute different subspecies or even distinct species.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: 0 - 5 m
Habitat: A littoral benthic species, inhabiting rocky shores, as well as rocks on sandy beaches. It can be found in the intertidal and subtidal areas.
Feeding habits:
Trophic level:
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Commercial species.
Conservation status: Not evaluated.
Nutritional information & food safety:
REFERENCES
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
Manning R.B., Holthuis L.B. (1981). West African Brachyuran Crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology, 306. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, USA, 379 pp.
Schubart C.D., González-Gordillo J.I., Reyns N.B., Liu H.C., Cuesta J.A. (2001). Are Atlantic and Indo-Pacific populations of the rafting crab, Plagusia depressa (Fabricius), distinct? New evidence from larval morphology and mtDNA. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, 49(2): 301-310.
