Description: A large crab (up to 12 cm across carapace) with a prominent ring of spines around the outer edge, and scattered on the back and on the legs. Carapace brown to orange in colour and circular in shape. Right pincer is larger than the left.

Habitat: Open coasts and offshore from 10 m to 1000 m.

Distribution: No records to date from around the island of Ireland. This is a northern species, occurring at a few sites in or close to deep water around Scotland and becoming more frequent in Norway.

Similar Species: Unlikely to be confused with any other species apart from Maja brachydactyla which is a larger spiny spider crab found in Ireland and south to Portugal.

Key Identification Features:

• Large orange-brown crab with prominent spines on outer edge of carapace
• Scattered spines on the back and on the legs.
• Circular shape to carapace.
• Right pincer larger than left.

Distribution Map from NBN: Lithodes maia at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Lithodes maia at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Lithodes maia at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Lithodes maja (Linnaeus, 1758). AphiaID: 107205.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Arthropoda; Crustacea; Multicrustacea; Malacostraca; Eumalacostraca; Eucarida; Decapoda; Pleocyemata; Anomura; Paguroidea; Lithodidae; Lithodinae; Lithodes