Puget Sound King crab | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Crustacea |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Infraorder: | Anomura |
Family: | Lithodidae |
Genus: | Lopholithodes |
Species: | L. mandtii |
Binomial name | |
Lopholithodes mandtii Brandt, 1849 |
The Puget Sound King crab, Lopholithodes mandtii, is a species of king crab which inhabits the oceans of the Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to central California. Adults are orange, red and purple in color, while juveniles are either mostly orange or have small blotches of red and purple. They can be recognized by their blunt bumps on their carapace. Puget Sound King crabs are larger than the similar brown box crab, with an average size of 6-10 inches. They are protected by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, so it is not advised to harvest it.