Mitten Crab Eriocheir sinensis

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A native of rivers of N China and the Yellow Sea. Travels large didtamnces upstream . Larvae can only hatch in salt water

DescriptionA large crab with a max carapace length of 56 mm. The carapace is fairly square in outline, narrowing towards the front and has four lateral teeth on each side. Colour is olive green in colour, the legs paler. The Key fefeature of the Mitten is the dense mat of hair on the claws. Legs are also very hairy.along the leading edges of the l

Key ID Features

Chelae covered in a mat of fine hair.
Carapace with four lateral sharp teeth.
Second to fifth walking legs (pereiopods) stout and flattened.
Longest segment of legs (the merus) bears a distinct distal spine

Habitat Flexible in its range and found in rivers and lakes, burrowing into sediment banks. Adults migrate to estuary mouths to breed and the females may over-winter in deep, fully saline water.

 "EriocheirSinensis1". Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.