Description: A rock crab with broadly oval, relatively flat body. Carapace surface with regions separated by grooves. The front with 5 blunt teeth, not produced beyond the outline of the carapace; the anterolateral margins of the carapace with 9 wide teeth. Large chelipeds; 4 pairs of similar walking legs covered in stiff hairs, and with spinules. Pale brown mottled with dark brown or reddish; the tips of the fingers are black and the hairs on the legs are yellow.
Global Distribution: Northeast and Central Eastern Atlantic, ranging from Iceland to the Canary Islands, as well as the West African coast off Morocco and the Sahara. View Map
BIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Size: Maximum carapace length 13.6 cm. Maximum carapace width 21.8 cm. No significant differences in size between the sexes. Maximum weight 1.92 kg.
Age:
Weight length rel.:
Growth type: Males show positive allometry in weight, size of chelae and size of pleopod; isometry in abdominal width, and negative allometry in carapace width. Females show positive allometry in abdomen width, isometry in weight and size of chelae, and negative allometry in carapace width.
von Bertallanfy growth parameters:
Reproduction: Probably has an annual reproductive cycle, with spawning occurring mainly from October to December. Ovigerous females were (rarely) found in November and December. Is is likely that this species has a spawning migration, with ovigerous females occupying different territory from the rest of the population, as is the case with other crabs of the genus Cancer. Fecundity is very variable, from about 300 000 to 670 000 eggs.
Maturity: Canary Islands: males 103.5 mm carapace length (range 85.4 - 120.0 mm CL), females 101.2 mm CL (range 89.8 - 114.5 mm CL). In the Azores, the minimum size of females found with spermatophores attached to their pleopods was 13.2 cm carapace width.
Behavioural ecology: Ovigerous females do not feed and may occupy different areas from the rest of the population, being less likely to be caught.
Population structure & migrations: Females probably undertake a yearly spawning migration.
ECOLOGICAL FEATURES
Depth range: SeaLifeBase 37 - 750 m.
Madeira (DSIDP; INIP) 210 - 780 m.
Azores (Pinho et al. 2001): 200-700 m. Females more abundant in shallower water (200-400 m) and males in deeper water (400-600 m).
Habitat: Benthic on all kinds of substrate on the distal platform and upper slope, but prefers rocky substrate. Also on seamounts.
Feeding habits: Probably feeds on epibenthic invertebrates.
Trophic level:
FISHERIES
Commercial interest: Commercial species, but most often captured as bycatch of the lobster Palinurus elephas (Azores) or the shrimp Plesionika narval (Canary Islands). Occasional catches, with relatively low commercial potential in Madeira. Captured with traps.
Conservation status: Not evaluated.
Nutritional information & food safety: Proximate composition per 100 g:
energy value 101.17 kcal (5.1% DRV)
protein 15.74 g (31.5% DRV)
fat 0.48 g (0.7% DRV)
of which saturates 0.09 g (0.5% DRV)
omega-3 (EPA+DHA): 0.122 g (recommended: 0.250 - 2.0 g daily)
Cartes J.E., Papiol V., Frutos I., Macpherson E., González-Pola C., Punzón A.,Valeiras X, Serrano, A. (2013). Distribution and biogeographic trends of decapod assemblages from Galicia Bank (NE Atlantic) at depths between 700 and 1800m, with connexions to regional water masses. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, in press.
Direcção de Serviços de Investigação e Desenvolvimento da Pesca, Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
Direcção Regional de Pescas, Madeira.
Fischer W., Bianchi G., Scott W.B., eds. (1981). FAO species identification sheets for fishery purposes. Eastern Central Atlantic; fishing areas 34, 47 (in part). Canada Funds-in-Trust. Ottawa, Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, by arrangement with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, vol. 6, 304 pp.
INIP (1984a). Programa de Apoio às Pescas na Madeira - III Cruzeiro de Reconhecimento de Pesca e Oceanografia 020330981. Relatório INIP 22, Lisboa, Portugal, 132 pp.
INIP (1984b). Programa de Apoio às Pescas na Madeira - IV Cruzeiro de Reconhecimento de Pesca e Oceanografia 020390582. Relatório INIP 25, Lisboa, Portugal, 125 pp.
IUCN (2014). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. www.iucnredlist.org
de Kluijver M.J., Ingalsuo S.S. Macrobenthos of the North Sea - Crustacea. Accessed through: Marine Species Identification Portal. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://species-identification.org (2014).
Pinho M.R., Gonçalves J.M., Martins H.R. (2001). Biology and abundance of Cancer bellianus (Decapoda, Brachyura) around the Azores. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 58: 896-903.
Quiles J.A., Rivo V., Tuset V.M., Santana J.I., González J.A. (2001). Notes on the biology of Cancer bellianus (Brachyura, Cancridae) around the Canary Islands. Hydrobiologia, 449: 193-199.
