Lesser spider crab (Maja crispata)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Maja crispata
- Common name
- Lesser spider crab
- Category
- Crustaceans
- Family
- Majidae
- Genus
- Maja
- Size
- 8–12 cm
- Depth
- 5–90 m
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- rocky, sand, seagrass
- Behaviours
- camouflage, nocturnal
- Ocean zones
- East Atlantic, Mediterranean
Description
Maja crispata reaches 12 cm in carapace. Pear-shaped body covered in spines and tubercles to which algae and sponges attach as camouflage. Smaller than its Atlantic cousin M. squinado. Lives on rocky bottoms and in Posidonia seagrass down to 90 m. Nocturnal. Edible, caught artisanally in the Adriatic and western Mediterranean.
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the Lesser spider crab?
- Lesser spider crab (Maja crispata) reaches 8–12 cm in length.
- At what depth can you find the Lesser spider crab?
- Lesser spider crab is found between 5–90 m deep.
- Is the Lesser spider crab dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Lesser spider crab?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Lesser spider crab?
- Found in: East Atlantic, Mediterranean.
Other species in the genus Maja
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 107348)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 5178689)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia