| Lithodes maja | |
|---|---|
| Lithodes maja (on top of Hyas araneus) | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Family: | Lithodidae |
| Genus: | Lithodes |
| Species: | L. maja |
| Binomial name | |
| Lithodes maja (Linnaeus, 1758) [1] |
|
| Synonyms | |
Lithodes maja is a species of king crab which occurs in the colder waters of Europe and North America. It is found along entire coast of Norway,[2] the northern half of the British Isles, and around the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Svalbard and off south-eastern Greenland.[1] In Canada, it is found from Newfoundland southwards.[3]
The carapace is almost circular and may reach a width of 13–14 centimetres (5.1–5.5 in).[2] The whole body is brown or orange and is covered with large spikes. It lives on both soft and hard bottoms, from a few metres below the surface to around 800 m depth.[1][2] Like most king crabs, females are asymmetrical, with the left side of the abdomen considerably larger than the right, although specimens with the reverse of this are occasionally found.[4]
The low rate of egg production by this species, in comparison to species fished in the North Pacific, limits its abundance, making it unsuitable for commercial exploitation.[5]