Description: A small crab (up to 1.5 cm) with a rounded carapace and long conspicuous antennae. Colouration is greyish-brown and it has a dirty appearance. First pair of legs are around 2 cm long with thick, flattened pincers with hairs around the outer edge, three pairs of walking legs with the fifth pair of legs small in size and often not visible. There are hairs on all of the legs. Not a ‘true’ crab, but more closely related to hermit crabs and squat lobsters.

Habitat: Under boulders on the middle to lower shore and shallow sublittoral; especially in muddy gravel.

Distribution: Found all around Britain and Ireland.

Similar Species: Unlikely to be confused with any other species. Closest in resemblance is the long-clawed porcelain crab (Pisidia longicornis) but this species is has a clean appearance and is red-orange in colour.

Key Identification Features:

• Small crab (1.5 cm)
• Large conspicuous antennae
• Round grey-brown carapace
• Dirty appearance

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

iNaturalist: Porcellana platycheles at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Porcellana platycheles at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Porcellana platycheles (Pennant, 1777). AphiaID: 107190.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Arthropoda; Crustacea; Multicrustacea; Malacostraca; Eumalacostraca; Eucarida; Decapoda; Pleocyemata; Anomura; Galatheoidea; Porcellanidae; Porcellana