Scorpion spider crab | |
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Species: | I. dorsettensis
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Binomial name | |
Inachus dorsettensis (
Pennant, 1777)
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Inachus dorsettensis, commonly known as the scorpion spider crab, is a species of crab generally found on loose substrates (stony bottoms to mud) from 6 metres (20 ft) depth down to about 100 m (330 ft). [1]
They are usually seen covered with sponge which they apply themselves. The carapace of a fully grown male is roughly 30 millimetres (1.2 in) long and slightly narrower than it is long. [1] [2]
I. dorsettensis resembles the closely related species Inachus phalangium, but has more prominent spines on the carapace. [1] They molt, with the intermolting period being shorter the warmer the water they reside in is. [3]
Scorpion spider crab is found along the east coast of the Atlantic Ocean from Norway to South Africa, and also in the Mediterranean Sea. [1]