• Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Arthropoda
  • Subphylum: Crustacea
  • Class: Malacostraca
  • Subclass: Eumalacostraca
  • Superorder: Eucarida
  • Order: Decapoda
  • Suborder: Pleocyemata
  • Infraorder: Brachyura
  • Family: Portunidae
  • Scientific name: Liocarcinus pusillus
  • Norwegian: liten svømmekrabbe

Characteristics:

This colorful crab is easily overlooked, as the width of the carapace usually is less than 25 mm. It comes in a wide range of colors, but can be distinguished from similar species by the slightly convex frontal margin between the eyes. It has three clearly visible, but gentle lobes. Sometimes there is longitudinal stripe on the dorsal side of the carapace.

Habitat:

It seems to prefer gravel or stony substrate. It has been registered from the intertidal zone and down to 100 meters depth.

Distribution:

It is known from the Mediterranean and the entire East Atlantic Ocean, from Africa to Norway. In Norway it is registered as far north as Lofoten.