Atlantic Blue Crab
Callinectes sapidus
Marbled Crab
Pachygrapsus marmoratus
About
The marbled crab is a common shore crab of the Mediterranean, Black Sea and nearby Atlantic coasts, often seen scuttling over rocks and into tide pools.
How to tell it apart
It closely resembles two related Mediterranean crabs. Check the sides of its shell: this species has three small teeth on each side, a pattern its two relatives do not share.
Appearance
This crab has a square, flattened shell that is dark violet-brown with yellow marbling. It moves very fast and darts into cracks and crevices at the first sign of danger, which makes it hard to catch by hand.
Habitat
Found on rocks from the upper to middle shore, and in crevices of breakwaters and pier piles. It ranges from the Black Sea and the Mediterranean along the Atlantic coasts of Portugal, Spain and France, and has been spreading north as far as the English Channel.
Did you know?
This crab includes its own species among its favourite foods, sometimes eating other marbled crabs.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
