Angular Crab

Goneplax rhomboides

The angular crab is found in muddy sand from shallow water down to about 100 m deep.  This species lives in complex, branching burrows and is locally common around Britain with a wider distribution south to the Mediterranean and South Africa.  Angular crabs are sexually dimorphic (males are larger than females) with a male’s clawed limb, or cheliped, measuring four to five times the length of the carapace.  The eyestalks are retractable.

Data sources: Gibson et al. (2001) and Hayward & Ryland (2004).

Specimen details

The specimen was a male with a carapace width of 42 mm and carapace depth of 28 mm.  The right cheliped measured 157 mm (the chela or claw was 88 mm) while the left cheliped measured 154 mm (the chela measured 92 mm).

Unfortunately, we do not have the location or date of the catch.

Annotated abdomen.

Annotated claw.

Annotated eye stalk retracted.