Red Rock Crab
Cancer productus
Summary 5
Cancer productus, one of several species known as red rock crabs, is a crab of the genus Cancer found on the western coast of North America.
Description 6
This cancer crab has a dark tip to the dactyl of the chela (photo). The carapace is much wider than it is long, and its dorsal surface is nearly smooth and not covered with large bumps or tubercles. The propodus of the chela usually has several tubercles (photo). The widest point of the carapace is at the 8th (next to the last) lateral tooth (photo). Dorsal carapace is usually brick red, and up to 20 cm wide in males and 17 cm in females. The series of five points between the eyes are nearly equal in size and extend slightly farther out than does that of most cancer crabs, leading to the productus in the name. The dactyls of the walking legs have short setae. The carapace color pattern of juveniles is very different from that of adults (photo), often white or with red and white stripes.
Habitat 7
Depth Range: Low intertidal to 90 m
Habitat: Rocky and soft bottoms. Most common around rocks. Often found half-buried in sand under rocks during the day; more active at night.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Dan Hershman, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.flickr.com/photos/75525471@N00/1910122342
- (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), http://www.flickr.com/photos/ken-ichi/8859910127/
- (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7305/8860512188_b351be1bab_o.jpg
- (c) Alison Young, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://farm8.static.flickr.com/7230/7184559889_16eeb372d3_b.jpg
- Adapted by Marisa Rafter from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_productus
- (c) Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/10456073
- (c) Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/10456076
