• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Crustacea
  • Class: Malacostraca
  • Subclass: Eumalacostraca
  • Superorder: Eucarida
  • Order: Decapoda
  • Suborder: Pleocyemata
  • Infraorder: Brachyura
  • Family: Inachidae
  • Scientific name: Inachus dorsettensis
  • Norwegian: langfotkrabbe

Characteristics:

It may be confused with the more slender common spider crab. The most distinct difference is the short, splitted rostrum, in contrast to the longer, single-pointed rostrum of the common spider crab. If the carapace is not covered by sponges, you might notice a transverse row of four spines, right behind the eyes. The egg-shaped carapace narrows towards the front and may reach a length of 35 mm. The legs are very long, relative to the modest body size.

Habitat:

As many other crabs, it is not choosy on the substrate. You may find it on rocky, sand as well as muddy substrate. It is most frequent on a depth range from 4 to 180 meters.

Distribution:

It is widespread along the east coasts of the Atlantic Ocean, both in Europe and Africa, as well as in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and even the Seychelles.