Crabs of the British Isles

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Largest and smallest crabs of the British Isles
Paromola cuvieri.jpg
Paromola cuvieri (up to 120 cm claw span)
Pinnotheres pisum.jpg
Pinnotheres pisum (up to 4 mm across the carapace)

Around 65 species of crab occur in the waters of the British Isles. [1] [Note 1] All are marine, with the exception of the introduced Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis , which occurs in fresh and brackish water. They range in size from the deep-water species Paromola cuvieri , [3] which can reach a claw span of 1.2 metres (3 ft 11 in), [4] to the pea crab, which is only 4 mm (0.16 in) wide and lives inside mussel shells.

Contents

Fisheries

Commercial crabs in the British Isles
DormeursCancer pagurus2010.JPG
Nearly 30,000 t of the edible crab Cancer pagurus is landed in the British Isles every year.
Cangrejo-rafax.JPG
1,500 t of the spider crab Maja brachydactyla is landed in the British Isles every year.
Carcinus maenas.jpg
More than 500 t of the shore crab, Carcinus maenas , is landed in the British Isles every year.
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Up to 200 t of the velvet crab, Necora puber , is landed in the British Isles every year.

Several species of wild crab are the subject of crab fisheries around the coasts of the British Isles. The most important are the brown crab or edible crab, Cancer pagurus (29,193 t), various swimming crabs (3,180 t), the spider crab Maja brachydactyla (1,565 t), the shore crab or green crab Carcinus maenas (553 t) and the velvet crab Necora puber (193 t). Around 77% of the catch is landed in the United Kingdom, 19% in Ireland, 4% in the Channel Islands, and 1% in the Isle of Man. [Note 2]

Species

62 species have been directly observed in the waters of the British Isles: [1] [Note 3]

Dromiidae
Homolidae
Leucosiidae
Majidae
Oregoniidae
Inachidae
Epialtidae
Parthenopidae
Corystidae
Atelecyclidae
Thiidae
Pirimelidae
Cancridae
Portunidae
Geryonidae
Goneplacidae
Xanthidae
Panopeidae
Pilumnoididae
Pilumnidae
Grapsidae
Varunidae
Pinnotheridae

Three deep-water species have also been recorded near the British Isles, and are likely to occur in the area. These are: [1]

Notes

  1. ↑ Howson & Picton define the waters of the British Isles to be the area within the 200 metres (660 ft) isobath surrounding the British Isles, between 48 °N and 62.5 °N, and between 13 °W and 6 °E; this includes the English Channel and parts of the North Sea coasts of Belgium and the Netherlands, but excludes the Faroe Islands. [2]
  2. ↑ Fishery data is for the year 2009, and is taken from the FAO's online database, summing the captures for the Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Ireland and the United Kingdom. [5]
  3. ↑ Nomenclature follows Ng et al. (2009). [6]

Related Research Articles

Portunidae Family of crabs

Portunidae is a family of crabs which contains the swimming crabs.

<i>Liocarcinus depurator</i> Species of crab

Liocarcinus depurator, sometimes called the harbour crab or sandy swimming crab, is a species of crab found in the North Sea, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Black Sea. It grows up to 50 millimetres (2.0 in) in width and 40 mm (1.6 in) long, and can be distinguished from other crabs, such as the shore crab Carcinus maenas, by the curved rows of white spots on its carapace.

Inachidae Family of crabs

Inachidae is a family of crabs, containing 39 genera:

<i>Macropodia</i> Genus of crabs

Macropodia is a genus of crabs, belonging to the family Inachidae. It contains the following species:

<i>Inachus phalangium</i> Species of crab

Inachus phalangium, Leach's spider crab, is a species of crabs from the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. It is up to 20.5 mm (0.81 in) wide, and is very similar to other species in the genus Inachus.

<i>Inachus</i> (genus) Genus of crabs

Inachus is a genus of crab, containing the following species:

<i>Pisa</i> (genus) Genus of crabs

Pisa is a genus of crabs, containing the following species:

<i>Ebalia</i> Genus of crabs

Ebalia is a genus of crab in the family Leucosiidae.

<i>Macropodia tenuirostris</i> Species of crab

Macropodia tenuirostris, also known as the slender spider crab, is a species of marine crab in the family Inachidae.

References

  1. 1 2 3 J. M. C. Holmes; M. J. Costello & D. W. Connor (1997). "Crustacea". In Christine M. Howson & Bernard E. Picton (eds.). The Species Directory of the Marine Fauna and Flora of the British Isles and Surrounding Seas (PDF). Ulster Museum and the Marine Conservation Society. pp. 142–209. ISBN   978-0-948150-06-7.
  2. Christine M. Howson & Bernard E. Picton, eds. (1997). "Introduction". The Species Directory of the Marine Fauna and Flora of the British Isles and Surrounding Seas (PDF). Ulster Museum and the Marine Conservation Society. pp. 5–8. ISBN   978-0-948150-06-7.
  3. ↑ Michael McCarthy (April 22, 2010). "Britain's biggest crab emerges from the deep". The Independent . Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  4. ↑ Mike Thurston (1987). "Record breaking crab is not such a strange catch". New Scientist . 114 (1554): 24.
  5. "Global Capture Production 1950–2009". Food and Agriculture Organization . Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  6. Peter K. L. Ng; Danièle Guinot & Peter J. F. Davie (2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . 17: 1–286. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06.
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