Broad-Clawed Porcelain Crab
Porcellana platycheles
Porcelain Crabs are not “true crabs” but closely related, with flattened bodies and the ability to shed limbs if threatened, later regenerating them. They filter feed or pick up small bits of food with their small appendages. On Lihou, look carefully under stones during low tide to find them clinging upside down, ready to scurry away if disturbed.
- Habitat: Under rocks in mid to lower shore, often in groups.
- When to See: Year-round
- Length: Up to ~1.5 cm across carapace