Spiny crab is a Far Eastern representative of hermit crabs, whose weight can range from 800 g to 2 kg. Distributed in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Its carapace reaches a width of 14 cm, thick spikes are located on powerful claws and back.
Spread
Thorny crab is distributed along the west-east coast of Kamchatka, near Cape Lopatka, in the bays of the Kamchatka and Chukchi coasts, on the island of Shikotan, in the southern part of the Bering Sea, in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, on the Kuril Islands and Sakhalin. The highest density of clusters of such hermit crabs is observed in the bays of Korf and Karaginsky. The southeastern shores of Kamchatka are inhabited by the largest individuals.
Habitat
Thorny crabs feel comfortable at a depth of 25 m, but in southern waters they can sink much lower. The maximum depth is about 350 m. The favorite habitats of such crustaceans have their own characteristics and characteristics: these are zones in which rocky and rocky soils with a pronounced algae community and a sufficiently developed microrelief prevail.
This type of crayfish calmly tolerates wintering in waters with low temperature, but often swims in estuaries, where the water is not as cold as on the coast of the seas. The prickly crab has adapted to fresh water, so anglers should not be surprised when they find these individuals in their nets.
Such crayfish have no migrations; they have been located along the same coast for years. In the middle of summer, seasonal molting occurs, and at this time their catch is prohibited. In warm periods, from about May to September, reproduction occurs. Fertility of females is about 30 thousand eggs. However, up to 40% of them die.
Description of appearance
These crustaceans are characterized by a red or burgundy red color of the shell and claws. On the cephalothorax, the spikes reach 1/6 of the total size of the crab. If you look at the photo of the prickly crab, you will notice that its right claw is larger than the left. By the way, they are also covered with spikes. Rostrum small, with a blunt tip of the lower process, often club-swollen. As a rule, there is a small spine between it and the dorsal spines.
The average size of males is from 11 to 14 cm, females - from 10 to 13 cm. A distinctive feature of the latter is a blue rounded abdomen. There are more thorns in the offspring than in adults. The spiny crab has no subspecies, and its closest relative is the Kamchatka crab.
Faced with the enemy, this hermit crab always defends itself. Defends itself with claws, rising on three pairs of limbs, and struggles to the end.
Production
The commercial production of such crustaceans is a very profitable business. The price for one live individual varies from four to six thousand rubles. Capture is carried out in the Bering, Japanese, Okhotsk seas and on the coast of Kamchatka. Due to some difficulties, the capture of the stranded spiny crabs is carried out by scuba divers. Far Eastern residents also engage in amateur fishing: they take the males, and the females are released.
But not everyone is conscientious about capture, often poachers conduct it. The illegal mining of these hermit crabs is measured in thousands of tons.
