Malacostracans · Decapoda · Portunidae

Velvet Swimming Crab

Necora puber

Not Evaluated

It has not yet been assessed against the IUCN criteria. See full glossary

The velvet swimming crab is a decapod crustacean of the infraorder Brachyura. It belongs to the family Portunidae, which includes the so-called swimming crabs, and uses its last pair of legs to swim. It is a medium-sized crab much prized in cooking.

Size

up to 15 cm

Diet

Omnivore

Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.

Activity

Nocturnal

Active mainly at night.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Unknown

OceanOmnivore Nocturnal Solitary Ocean Crustacean

19countries 21parks 62dive sites2same family

Fun facts

GeneralIt has red eyes and its last pair of legs flattened into paddles for swimming.
It is called the velvet crab for the fine down covering its carapace, but its other nickname, devil crab, comes from its bright red eyes and its temper: it rears up and defends itself with its claws rather than fleeing.
The last pair of legs is flattened into paddles, which lets it swim fast, unlike most bottom-dwelling crabs.
It is the largest swimming crab in British waters.
The Scottish fishery grew after the Spanish one declined in the 1980s.
Ocean acidification is a concern because of its effect on the species' exoskeleton.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Invertebrate - articulated calcareous exoskeleton (crustacean)
Habitat & environment: Weedy rocky bottoms of the shore and down to 70 m
Sexual maturity: Between one and one and a half years old, at 4 or 5 cm
Litter / clutch size: Between 5,000 and 278,000 eggs per female in Scottish populations

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necora_puber