Sally lightfoot crab (Percnon gibbesi)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Percnon gibbesi
- Common name
- Sally lightfoot crab
- Category
- Crustaceans
- Family
- Percnidae
- Genus
- Percnon
- Size
- 2–5 cm
- Depth
- 0–15 m
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- rocky
- Behaviours
- fast-moving, diurnal
- Ocean zones
- Caribbean, East Atlantic, Macaronesia, Mediterranean, Eastern Pacific
Description
Percnon gibbesi is a flattened crab of 2 to 5 cm with a dark-green pentagonal carapace and long yellow-striped legs. Native to the tropical Atlantic, it has been invasive in the Mediterranean since the late 1990s, favored by warming waters. Very fast, it lives on current-swept rocks. Slips into the narrowest cracks. Observation counts rising sharply.
Photo of Sally lightfoot crab
Frequently asked questions
- How big is the Sally lightfoot crab?
- Sally lightfoot crab (Percnon gibbesi) reaches 2–5 cm in length.
- At what depth can you find the Sally lightfoot crab?
- Sally lightfoot crab is found between 0–15 m deep.
- Is the Sally lightfoot crab dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Sally lightfoot crab?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Sally lightfoot crab?
- Found in: Caribbean, East Atlantic, Macaronesia, Mediterranean, Eastern Pacific.
Similar species
- Palinurus elephas - European spiny lobster
- Clibanarius erythropus - Red-legged hermit crab
- Homarus gammarus - European lobster
- Pachygrapsus marmoratus - Marbled rock crab
- Mithraculus forceps - Red-ridged clinging crab
- Mithrax spinosissimus - Channel clinging crab
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 107458)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 2225783)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia