Purple Shore Crab

Common Name: Purple Shore Crab

Scientific Name: Hemigrapsus nudus

Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family: Animalia, Arthropoda, Malacostraca, Decapoda, Varunidae

Diet: Omnivorous, algae, mussels and barnacles

Habitat: Under rocks and in crevices, mud flats and channels, mid tide zone

Range: Alaska to Mexico

Identification: Claws have purple spots and white tips, color varies green/yellow/red/purple/brown, no hair on legs

Reproduction: Eggs develop underneath the female’s abdomen, 400-36,000 eggs

Behavior: Always stay together with Hemigrapsus oregonensis. (hairy shore crab)

Predators: Birds, fish and larger crabs