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.
Pérez J.A.G. (1995). Catálogo de los Crustáceos Decápodos de las Islas Canarias. Gambas. Langostas. Cangrejos. Publicaciones Turquesa, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, 282 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.
