Biodiversity & Conservation

Edible crab - Cancer pagurus - General information

Cancer pagurus

Image Sue Daly - Cancer pagurus, edible crab. Image width ca 25 cm.
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Distribution map

Cancer pagurus recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Cancer pagurus is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Ken Neal and Emily Wilson Text page icon Refereed by: This information is not refereed.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Arthropoda Arthropods, joint-legged animals, e.g. insects, crustaceans & spiders
Class Malacostraca Crabs, lobsters, sand hoppers and sea slaters
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland All British and Irish coasts.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on bedrock including under boulders, mixed coarse grounds, and offshore in muddy sand. Lower shore, shallow sublittoral and offshore to about 100 m.
Text page icon Description Crab with a heavy, oval shaped body, easily distinguished from other species by its 'piecrust' edge and massive black tipped pincers. It is reddish-brown in colour with very large individuals having a carapace width of up to 25 cm although individuals are typically up to 15 cm.

This review can be cited as follows:

Ken Neal and Emily Wilson 2008. Cancer pagurus. Edible crab. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 19/06/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=2872>