Velvet crab
Encyclopedia
The velvet crab Necora puber, is a species of crab
. It is the largest swimming crab (family Portunidae
) found in British
coastal waters, with a carapace
width of up to 100 millimetres (3.9 in), and the only species in the genus Necora. The body is coated with short hairs, giving the animal a velvet
y texture, hence the common name
. It is one of the major crab species for United Kingdom
fisheries.
The velvet crab lives from southern Norway
to Western Sahara
in the North Sea
and north Atlantic
as well as western parts of the Mediterranean Sea
, on rocky bottoms from the shoreline to a depth of about 65 metres (213.3 ft). The last pair of pereiopods are flattened to facilitate swimming.
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
. It is the largest swimming crab (family Portunidae
Portunidae
Portunidae is a family of crabs which contains the swimming crabs.-Description:Portunid crabs are characterised by the flattening of the fifth pair of legs into broad paddles, which are used for swimming...
) found in British
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
coastal waters, with a carapace
Carapace
A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...
width of up to 100 millimetres (3.9 in), and the only species in the genus Necora. The body is coated with short hairs, giving the animal a velvet
Velvet
Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric in which the cut threads are evenly distributed,with a short dense pile, giving it a distinctive feel.The word 'velvety' is used as an adjective to mean -"smooth like velvet".-Composition:...
y texture, hence the common name
Common name
A common name of a taxon or organism is a name in general use within a community; it is often contrasted with the scientific name for the same organism...
. It is one of the major crab species for United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
fisheries.
The velvet crab lives from southern Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
to Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
in the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and north Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
as well as western parts of the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, on rocky bottoms from the shoreline to a depth of about 65 metres (213.3 ft). The last pair of pereiopods are flattened to facilitate swimming.