Around 65 species of crab occur in the waters of the British Isles. 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, which can reach a claw span of , to the pea crab, which is only wide and lives inside mussel shells.
Fisheries
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.
Species 62 species have been directly observed in the waters of the British Isles:
Dromiidae Dromia personata (Linnaeus, 1758) Homolidae Paromola cuvieri (Risso, 1816)
Leucosiidae Ebalia cranchii Leach, 1817 Ebalia granulosa H. Milne-Edwards, 1837 Ebalia nux A. Milne-Edwards, 1883 Ebalia tuberosa (Pennant, 1777) Ebalia tumefacta (Montagu, 1808) Majidae Maja brachydactyla Balss, 1922 Eurynome aspera (Pennant, 1777) Eurynome spinosa Hailstone, 1835 Oregoniidae Hyas araneus (Linnaeus, 1758) Hyas coarctatus Leach, 1815 Inachidae Achaeus cranchii Leach, 1817 Inachus dorsettensis (Pennant, 1777) Inachus leptochirus Leach, 1817 Inachus phalangium (Fabricius, 1775) Macropodia deflexa Forest, 1978 Macropodia linaresi Forest & Zariquiey Alvarez, 1964 Macropodia rostrata (Linnaeus, 1761) Macropoda tenuirostris (Leach, 1814) Epialtidae Pisa armata (Latreille, 1803) Pisa tetraodon (Pennant, 1777) Parthenopidae Parthenopides massena (Roux, 1830) Corystidae Corystes cassivelaunus (Pennant, 1777) Atelecyclidae Atelecyclus rotundatus (Olivi, 1792) Atelecyclus undecimdentatus (Herbst, 1783) Thiidae Thia scutellata (Fabricius, 1793) Pirimelidae Pirimela denticulata (Montagu, 1808) Cancridae Cancer bellianus Johnson, 1861 Cancer pagurus Linnaeus, 1758 Portunidae Callinectes sapidus Rathbun, 1896 Carcinus maenas (Linnaeus, 1758) Bathynectes longipes (Risso, 1816) Bathynectes maravigna (Prestandrea, 1839) Liocarcinus corrugatus (Pennant, 1777) Liocarcinus depurator (Linnaeus, 1758) Liocarcinus holsatus (Fabricius, 1798) Liocarcinus marmoreus (Leach, 1814) Liocarcinus navigator (Herbst, 1794) Liocarcinus pusillus (Leach, 1815) Liocarcinus zariquieyi Gordon, 1968 Macropipus tuberculatus (Roux, 1830) Necora puber (Linnaeus, 1767) Polybius henslowii Leach, 1820 Portumnus latipes (Pennant, 1777) Xaiva biguttata (Risso, 1816) Geryonidae Geryon trispinosus (Herbst, 1803) Goneplacidae Goneplax rhomboides (Linnaeus, 1758) Xanthidae Monodaeus couchi (Couch, 1851) Xantho hydrophilus (Herbst, 1790) Xantho pilipes A. Milne-Edwards, 1867 Panopeidae Dyspanopeus sayi (S. I. Smith, 1869) Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould, 1841) Pilumnoididae Pilumnoides inglei Guinot & Macpherson, 1987 Pilumnidae Pilumnus hirtellus (Linnaeus, 1761)
Grapsidae Pachygrapsus marmoratus (Fabricius, 1787) Planes minutus (Linnaeus, 1758) Varunidae Brachynotus sexdentatus (Risso, 1827) Eriocheir sinensis H. Milne-Edwards, 1853 Asthenognathus atlanticus Monod, 1933 Pinnotheridae Nepinnotheres pinnotheres (Linnaeus, 1758) Pinnotheres pisum (Linnaeus, 1767)
Three deep-water species have also been recorded near the British Isles, and are likely to occur in the area. These are: Cymonomus granulatus (Norman in Wyville Thomson, 1873) (Cymonomidae) Dorhynchus thomsoni Wyville Thomson, 1873 (Inachidae) Rochinia carpenteri (Wyville Thomson, 1873) (Epialtidae)
Notes
References