Scorpion spider crab | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Crustacea |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Infraorder: | Brachyura |
Family: | Inachidae |
Genus: | Inachus |
Species: | I. dorsettensis |
Binomial name | |
Inachus dorsettensis (Pennant, 1777) |
Inachus dorsettensis, commonly known as the scorpion spider crab, is a species of crab generally found on loose substrates (stony bottoms to mud) from 6 metres (20 ft) depth down to about 100 m (330 ft). It is found along the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to South Africa, and also in the Mediterranean Sea.
They are usually seen covered with sponge which they apply themselves. The carapace of a fully grown male is roughly 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long and slightly narrower than it is long.I. dorsettensis resembles the closely related species Inachus phalangium, but has more prominent spines on the carapace.