''Liocarcinus pusillus'', common name dwarf swimming crab,
is a species of
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
in the
Portunidae family.
Description
''Liocarcinus pusillus'' is a small, colourful species with a broad, suboval carapace having a maximum width of . However, most specimens are usually less than .
This species occurs in a wide range of colours.
The front has three sharpened tusks, directed forward.
Distribution
''Liocarcinus pusillus'' occurs from North-West Africa, to
Lofoten,
Norway including the
North Sea.
It is found around the shores of: England, in such places as
Northumberland,
Yorkshire,
The Wash,
Thames, the eastern
English Channel,
Isle of Wight,
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
,
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
, the
Scilly Isles, the
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel ( cy, Môr Hafren, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Seve ...
,
Liverpool Bay; Scotland -
Shetland
Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom.
The islands lie about to the no ...
,
Orkney
Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...
,
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...
,
Argyll and Clyde
Argyll and Clyde is a present area of operations for one of Scotland's Procurators Fiscal.
It is also a former health board area. It consists of Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, western West Dunbartonshire, and western East Renfrewshi ...
,
The Minch; Ireland, occurring in and around
Dublin,
Belfast,
County Mayo
County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...
,
Galway Bay,
Fastnet Rock,
County Cork; and elsewhere in the British Isles including the
Channel Islands,
Anglesey and the
Isle of Man.
Habitat
Specimens range intertidally up to 100 metres,
dwelling on sandy to stony bottoms,
but prefer gravel or stony substrates.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3022018
Portunoidea
Crustaceans described in 1815