• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Crustacea
  • Class: Malacostraca
  • Subclass: Eumalacostraca
  • Superorder: Eucarida
  • Order: Decapoda
  • Suborder: Pleocyemata
  • Infraorder: Brachyura
  • Family: Oregoniidae
  • Scientific name: Hyas coarctatus
  • Norwegian: pyntekrabbe

Characteristics:

The pear-shaped carapace (shell) does not grow quite as big as on the great spider crab, the length rarely exceeds 6-7 cm. The color tends to have a stronger tint of red. There is a distinct narrowing in the carapace, just behind the eyes.

Habitat:

The contracted crab can be found from the tidal zone and down to 500 meters, on all kinds of substrate.

Distribution:

The contracted crab is registered in Greenland and Spitsbergen, in the North Sea, the British Isles and coasts of central Europe, at least as far south as France.