Description: A small crab (up about 2 cm across). The colour can be variable – white, yellow, brown, green or red-brown. Carapace is much broader than it is long and tapers towards the rear. There are conspicuous grooves on the carapace between the eyes and two indentations on each side of the shell. The first pair of legs bear large, unequally-sized claws with black tips. The other pairs of legs become shorter towards the rear of the animal.

Habitat: On the lower shore on sand, gravel and stones, and in the sublittoral up to around 40 m depth.

Distribution: Scattered around Britain and Ireland but seems to be absent from east coasts of both.

Similar Species: Could be confused with Xantho pilipes, Xantho hyrdophilus does not have dense hairs on the second to fifth pairs of legs, while X. pilipes does.

Key Identification Features:

• Carapace much broader than it is long, tapering towards the rear.
• Conspicuous grooves between the eyes.
• Two indentations on each side of carapace.
• Large, unequally-sized pincers with black tips.
• No dense hairs on second to fifth pairs of legs.

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

iNaturalist: Xantho hydrophilus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Xantho hydrophilus at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Xantho hydrophilus (Herbst, 1790). AphiaID: 107440.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Arthropoda; Crustacea; Multicrustacea; Malacostraca; Eumalacostraca; Eucarida; Decapoda; Pleocyemata; Brachyura; Eubrachyura; Heterotremata; Xanthoidea; Xanthidae; Xanthinae; Xantho