Plagusia capense
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| Red rock crab | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Plagusia capense (Linnaeus, 1758) |
The red rock crab, Plagusia capense, is a marine large-eyed crab of the family Grapsidae. It is found in southern subtropical Indo-Pacific oceans from South Africa to Chile, including southern Australia, Tasmania, Juan Fernandez, Tonga, and New Zealand from Parengarenga Harbour to Lyttelton Harbour. It grows to around 70 mm shell width, with a leg span of 200 mm.
The large red rock crab lives under water on rocky reefs down to depths of 25 m and seldom ventures on dry land. It feeds mainly on plants (brown and red algae, coralline turf), although it will scavenge as well on limpets, chitons, gastropods, mussels, brittle stars and barnacles. Small crabs are mainly herbivorous whereas large crabs are more carnivorous. The carapace is covered in fine hairs.
Females are 'in berry' from September to February, and they carry eggs (size 0.4 mm) for about 6 weeks, during which time the eggs change colour from brick red to light green.
