Other Names
- Great Spider Crab
General Description
Carapace rounded and red-brown. Seaweed sometimes attached to body. Up to 16 cm wide (carapace).
Biology
Giant Spider Crabs form large groups when breeding, often more than one hundred crabs to a group.
Habitat
Seaweed, reef and sand areas, to depth of 820 m.
Reefs
Soft substrates
Distribution guide
Southern Australia.
Species Group
Depth
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)
Water Column
Max Size
16 cm
Diet
Carnivore
Harmful
Not harmful but a nip from large claws could be painful
Commercial Species
No
Global Dispersal
Native to Australia
Species Code
MoV 3718
Conservation Status
- DSE Advisory List : Not listed
- EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
- IUCN Red List : Not listed
Author
Dr. Jo Taylor is the Sciences Collections Online Coordinator at Museum Victoria.
Author
Dr. Gary Poore is Principal Curator Emeritus at Museum Victoria.
Cite this page as:
Taylor, J. & Poore, G.C.B., 2011, Giant Spider Crab, Leptomithrax gaimardii, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 08 Jun 2025, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/3976
