The red-clawed crab is a small East Asian crab that lives on land near the coast and only returns to the sea to release its young. It is native to Japan, Korea, China, and Taiwan and does not live in the wild in the United States.
Appearance
- Appearance
- A squarish, smooth shell about 1.2 in (3 cm) across, up to about 1.6 in (4 cm) in large crabs. Adults are usually bright crimson red, while young crabs are pale white or yellow. Males are larger, with bigger, smooth claws.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- Coastal woods
- Rocky shores
- Riverbanks
- Seaside villages
- Range
- East Asia: Japan (northern Honshu south to the northern Ryukyus), Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan.
Life cycle
- Breeding season
- In summer, females carrying eggs walk down to the shore on nights with high and release their larvae into the sea.
- Larva
- The larvae drift in the sea for several weeks before settling on the shore as tiny crabs in the fall.
Name and classification
- About the name
- The name "red claw crab" is also used for a different Indo-Pacific crab, Parasesarma bidens. In older books this species may appear as Sesarma haematocheir.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- NENot EvaluatedNot yet assessed
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