Biodiversity & Conservation

Common shore crab - Carcinus maenas - General information

Carcinus maenas

Image Peter Barfield - Two Carcinus maenas mating. Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Carcinus maenas 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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Carcinus maenas is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Ken Neal and Paolo Pizzolla 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 This ubiquitous crab is found on all shores of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Carcinus maenas is found on all types of shore, from high water to depths of 60 m in the sublittoral, but it is predominantly a shore and shallow water species. It tolerates a wide range of salinities and is especially abundant in estuaries and salt marshes.
Text page icon Description The shore crab has a shell (carapace) that is much broader than long (up to 8 cm across). The front of the carapace is serrated with five teeth on either side and three rounded lobes between the eyes. The first pair of legs (pereopods) have well developed pincers (chelae). Its colour is highly variable from dark green to orange and red. Variation in colour may be due to the stage of the life cycle or the habitat. Juveniles in particular display a wide range of mottled patterns.

This review can be cited as follows:

Ken Neal and Paolo Pizzolla 2008. Carcinus maenas. Common shore crab. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 23/05/2013]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=2885>