Pisa armata (Latreille, 1803) - Gibbs' spider crab (Crustacean images)

The specimen here was found by Tracey Williams of Facebook's Newquay Beachcombing and Lost at Sea Group. It was found attached to Pink sea fan which was entangled in a mass of fishing gear which included, finely shreaded polypropylene and nylon line. The specimen was found at Porth Beach, near Newquay, Cornwall, 19.12.16.

Specimen cleaned and photographed on 04.01.17.

To add to this, bags full of pieces of Pink sea fans are being collected along the north Cornwall coast, and most are entangled in fishing debris. It is not known how and where the sea fans are becoming entangled, but the amount of Sea fans coming ashore is alarming, especially given their protection and slow rate of growth.

Please note, Spider crabs can be quite tricky to identify with any certainty because of a covering of algae. This means verification from images may be impossible. It may be necessary to remove some of the algae with fine tweezers in order to identify weed covered specimens using a stereomicroscope and key. It is too easy to assume specimens are the common Macropodia rostrata, when they may not be, and detailed examination is important if under-recorded species are to be found and identified.

APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.