View source for Cancer pagurus

{{Short description|Species of crustacean}}
{{Good article}}
{{Speciesbox 
| image = Cancer pagurus.jpg
| taxon = Cancer pagurus
| authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]
| synonyms =
*''Cancer fimbriatus'' <small>Olivi, 1792</small>
*''Platycarcinus pagurus'' <small>H. Milne-Edwards, 1834</small>
*''Platycarcinus pagurus'' <small>Couch, 1838</small>
*''Cancer luederwaldti'' <small>Rathbun, 1930</small>
| synonyms_ref = &nbsp;<ref name="Macrobenthos">{{cite web |url=http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/crustacea.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=183 |author1=Mario J. de Kluijver |author2=Sarita S. Ingalsuo |title=Cancer pagurus |work=Macrobenthos of the North Sea |publisher=[[University of Amsterdam|Universiteit van Amsterdam]] |access-date=August 4, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608141444/http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/crustacea.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=183 |archive-date=June 8, 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
}}

'''''Cancer pagurus''''', commonly known as the '''edible crab''' or '''brown crab''', is a species of [[crab]] found in the [[North Sea]], North [[Atlantic Ocean]], and perhaps the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. It is a robust crab of a reddish-brown colour, having an oval [[carapace]] with a characteristic "pie crust" edge and black tips to the claws. A mature adult may have a carapace width up to {{convert|25|cm|in|0|abbr=off}} and weigh up to {{convert|3|kg|lb|frac=2|abbr=off}}. ''C. pagurus'' is a nocturnal predator, targeting a range of molluscs and crustaceans. It is the subject of the largest [[crab fisheries|crab fishery]] in [[Western Europe]], centred on the coasts of the Ireland and Britain, with more than 60,000&nbsp;tonnes caught annually.

==Description==
[[File:Boi.crab4.jpg|thumb|right|[[Arthropod mouthparts|Mouthparts]] and chelae of a female]]
[[File:Cancer pagurus - Carantec-3.jpg|thumb|left]]
The [[carapace]] of ''C. pagurus'' adults is a reddish-brown colour, while in young specimens it is purple-brown. It occasionally bears white patches, and is shaped along the front edge into nine rounded lobes,<ref name="Macrobenthos"/> resembling a pie crust.<ref name="ARKive"/> Males typically have a carapace {{convert|60|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long, and females {{convert|98|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long, although they may reach up to {{convert|150|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}} long in exceptional cases.<ref name="Macrobenthos"/> Carapace width is typically {{convert|150|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}}, or exceptionally up to {{convert|250|mm|in|frac=4|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Marlin">{{cite web |url=http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2872 |title=Edible crab – ''Cancer pagurus'' |publisher=[[Marine Life Information Network]] |author1=Ken Neal |author2=Emily Wilson |year=2008}}</ref> A fold of the carapace extends ventrally to constitute a branchial chamber where the [[gill]]s lie.<ref name="Ingle">{{cite book |author=Ray W. Ingle |year=1997 |title=Crayfishes, lobsters, and crabs of Europe: an illustrated guide to common and traded species |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |isbn=978-0-412-71060-5 |pages=2–10 |chapter=Structure and function |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-qVGbTAOiEC&pg=PA3}}</ref>

[[File:Cancer pagurus - Crabe dormeur - Tourteau - 004.jpg|thumb|right|The close-up]]
The first pereiopod is modified into a strong cheliped (claw-bearing leg); the claw's fingers, the [[arthropod leg|dactylus]] and propodus, are black at the tips.<ref name="Macrobenthos"/> The other pereiopods are covered with rows of short stiff [[seta]]e; the dactylus of each is black towards the tip, and ends in a sharp point.<ref name="Macrobenthos"/>

From the front, the [[antenna (biology)|antennae]] and [[antennule]]s are visible. Beside these,  the orbits are where the [[compound eye|eyes]] are situated.<ref name="Ingle"/> The [[Arthropod mouthparts|mouthparts]] comprise three pairs of [[maxilliped]]s, behind which are a pair of maxillae, a pair of maxillules, and finally the [[Mandible (arthropod mouthpart)|mandible]]s.<ref name="Ingle"/>

==Lifecycle==
Reproduction occurs in winter; the male stands over the female and forms a cage with his legs protecting her while she [[ecdysis|moults]].<ref name="ARKive"/> [[Internal fertilization|Internal fertilisation]] takes place before the hardening of the new carapace, with the aid of two abdominal appendages (gonopods). After mating, the female retreats to a pit on the sea floor to lay her eggs.<ref name="ARKive"/> Between 250,000 and 3,000,000 fertilised eggs<ref name="BIOTIC">{{cite web |url=http://www.marlin.ac.uk/biotic/browse.php?sp=4129 |title=Species Information for ''Cancer pagurus'' |work=Biological Traits Information Catalogue |publisher=Marine Life Information Network |access-date=August 11, 2010}}</ref> are held under the female's abdomen up to eight months until they hatch.<ref name="ARKive"/>

[[File:Cancer pagurus (eggs).jpg|thumb|left|A female edible crab with eggs on scrap]]
The first developmental stage after hatching is a [[plankton]]ic larva (1&nbsp;mm) called the [[zoea]] that develops into a [[postlarva]] ([[megalopa]]), and finally a juvenile.<ref name="Eaton">{{cite journal |author1=D. R. Eaton |author2=J. Brown |author3=J. T. Addison |author4=S. P. Milligana |author5=L. J. Fernand |year=2003 |title=Edible crab (''Cancer pagurus'') larvae surveys off the east coast of England: implications for stock structure |journal=[[Fisheries Research]] |volume=65 |issue=1–3: Life Histories, Assessment and Management of Crustacean Fisheries |pages=191–199 |editor1=Oliver Tully |editor2=Juan Freire |editor3=Julian T. Addison |doi=10.1016/j.fishres.2003.09.036}}</ref> The first juvenile stage is characterised by a well-developed abdomen, which in time becomes reduced in size and folded under the sternum. Juveniles settle to the sea floor in the [[intertidal zone]], where they stay until they reach a [[carapace]] width of {{convert|60|–|70|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}}, and then migrate to deeper water.<ref name="BIOTIC"/> The growth rate in males slows from an increase in carapace width of 10&nbsp;mm per year before it is 8 years old, to 2&nbsp;mm per year thereafter.<ref name="BIOTIC"/> Females grow at about half the rate of males,<ref name="BIOTIC"/> probably due to the energetic demands of egg laying. [[Sexual maturity]] is reached at a carapace width of {{convert|127|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} in females, and {{convert|110|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} in males.<ref name="ARKive"/> [[Longevity]] is typically 25–30&nbsp;years, although exceptional individuals may live up to 100&nbsp;years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fishonline.org/fish/crab-brown-or-edible-214 |title=Edible crab, ''Cancer pagurus'' |work=Fishonline |publisher=[[Marine Conservation Society]] |access-date=August 23, 2010}}</ref>

==Distribution and ecology==
[[File:Blue mussel clump.jpg|thumb|right|The [[blue mussel]], ''Mytilus edulis'', is a favourite food of ''C. pagurus''.]]
''C. pagurus'' is abundant throughout the northeast Atlantic as far as [[Norway]] in the north and [[North Africa]] in the south, on mixed coarse grounds, mud, and sand from the shallow [[sublittoral]] to depths around {{convert|100|m|ft fathom|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Marlin"/> It is frequently found inhabiting cracks and holes in rocks, but occasionally also in open areas. Smaller specimens may be found under rocks in the [[littoral zone]].<ref name="ARKive">{{cite web |url=http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_marine/Cancer_pagurus/more_info.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041226195347/http://www.arkive.org/species/ARK/invertebrates_marine/Cancer_pagurus/more_info.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 26, 2004 |title=Edible crab (''Cancer pagurus'') |publisher=[[ARKive]] |access-date=September 16, 2010}}</ref> Unconfirmed reports suggest that ''C. pagurus'' may also occur in the Mediterranean Sea and [[Black Sea]].<ref name="BIOTIC"/>

Adults of ''C. pagurus'' are [[Nocturnality|nocturnal]], hiding buried in the substrate during the day, but foraging at night up to {{convert|50|m|ft|round=50|abbr=on}} from their hideouts.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Basic movement pattern and chemo-oriented search towards baited pots in edible crab (''Cancer pagurus'' L.) |author1=K. Skajaa |author2=A. Ferno |author3=S. Lokkeborg |author4=E. K. Haugland |journal=[[Hydrobiologia]] |volume=371–372 |issue=Advances in Invertebrates and Fish Telemetry |pages=143–153 |year=1998 |doi=10.1023/A:1017047806464 |s2cid=22768873 |editor=J.-P. Lagardère, M.-L. Béhout Anras G. Claireaux}}</ref> Their diet includes a variety of [[crustacean]]s (including the crabs ''[[Carcinus maenas]]'' and ''[[Pilumnus hirtellus]]'', the [[porcelain crab]]s ''[[Porcellana platycheles]]'' and ''[[Pisidia longicornis]]'', and the [[squat lobster]] ''[[Galathea squamifera]]'') and [[Mollusca|molluscs]] (including the [[Gastropoda|gastropods]] ''[[Dog whelk|Nucella lapillus]]'' and ''[[common periwinkle|Littorina littorea]]'', and the [[Bivalvia|bivalves]] ''[[Ensis]]'', ''[[Blue mussel|Mytilus edulis]]'', ''[[Cerastoderma edule]]'', ''[[Ostrea edulis]]'', and ''[[Lutraria lutraria]]''). It may stalk or ambush motile prey, and may dig large pits to reach buried molluscs.<ref name="BIOTIC"/> The main [[predator]] of ''C. pagurus'' is the [[octopus]], which even attacks them inside the crab pots that fishermen use to trap them.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Maurice Burton |author2=Robert Burton |year=2002 |title=International Wildlife Encyclopedia |edition=3rd |publisher=[[Marshall Cavendish]] |isbn=978-0-7614-7266-7 |chapter=Edible crab |pages=741–742 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0gsPc5lk7_UC&pg=PA741}}</ref>

=== Diseases ===
Compared to other commercially important crab species, relatively little is known about diseases of ''C. pagurus''.<ref name="Stentiford">{{cite journal |author=Grant D. Stentiford |year=2008 |title=Diseases of the European edible crab (''Cancer pagurus''): a review |journal=[[ICES Journal of Marine Science]] |volume=65 |issue=9 |pages=1578–1592 |doi=10.1093/icesjms/fsn134|doi-access=free }}</ref> Its parasites include [[virus]]es, such as the [[white spot syndrome]] virus, various [[bacteria]] that cause dark [[lesion]]s on the [[exoskeleton]], and ''[[Hematodinium]]''-like [[dinoflagellate]]s that cause "pink crab disease".<ref name="Stentiford"/> Other microscopic [[pathogen]]s include [[fungi]], [[microsporidia]]ns, [[paramyxea]]ns, and [[ciliate]]s. ''C. pagurus'' is also targeted by [[animal|metazoan]] parasites, including [[Trematoda|trematodes]] and parasitic [[barnacle]]s.<ref name="Stentiford"/> A number of [[Sessility (zoology)|sessile]] animals occasionally settle as [[epibiont]]s on the exoskeleton of ''C. pagurus'', including barnacles, [[sea anemone]]s, [[Serpulidae|serpulid]] [[polychaete]]s such as ''[[Janua pagenstecheri]]'', [[bryozoa]]ns, and [[Anomia (bivalve)|saddle oysters]].<ref name="Stentiford"/>

==Fishery==
[[File:Lindisfarne Lobster Pots.JPG|thumb|left|Crab pots, [[Lindisfarne]], [[North Sea]]]]
''C. pagurus'' is heavily [[Crab fisheries|exploited commercially]] throughout its range, being the most commercially important crab species in Western Europe.<ref name="ARKive"/> The crabs are caught using crab pots (similar to [[lobster trap|lobster pots]]), also known as creels, which are placed offshore and baited.<ref name="ARKive"/> The catch of ''C. pagurus'' has increased steadily, rising from 26,000&nbsp;tonnes in 1978 to 60,000&nbsp;t in 2007, of which more than 70% was caught around the [[British Isles]].<ref name="Seafish"/> The fishery is widely dispersed around the British and Irish coasts, and ''C. pagurus'' is thought to be [[overfishing|overfished]] across much of this area.<ref name="Seafish"/> Most of the edible crabs caught by the British fleet are exported live for sale in [[France]] and [[Spain]].<ref name="sourcing">{{cite web |url=http://www.seafish.org/pdf.pl?file=seafish/Documents/SeafishResponsibleSourcingGuide_CrabsLobsters.pdf |title=Responsible Sourcing Guide: Crabs & Lobsters |publisher=[[Sea Fish Industry Authority]] |date=August 2, 2009}}</ref>

A number of legal restrictions apply to the catching of ''C. pagurus''. Catching "berried" crabs (females carrying eggs) is illegal,<ref name="ARKive"/> but since ovigerous females remain in pits dug in the sediment and do not feed, fishing pressure does not affect the supply of larvae.<ref name="BIOTIC"/> [[Minimum landing size]]s (MLSs) for ''C. pagurus'' are set by both the [[European Union]] technical regulations and by the [[Government of the United Kingdom|UK government]].<ref name="Seafish">{{cite book |title=Future Management of Brown Crab in the UK and Ireland (IPF_D123) |series=Seafish Report No. SR633 |publisher=[[Sea Fish Industry Authority]] |author=Nautilus Consultants |date=December 2009 |isbn=978-1-906634-36-0 |url=http://www.seafish.org/pdf.pl?file=seafish/Documents/SR633_NautilusBrownCrabManagement_D123_Final.pdf }}</ref> Different minimum sizes are employed in different geographical areas, to reflect differences in the crab's growth rate across its range.<ref name="Seafish"/> In particular, the "[[Cromer]] crab" fishery along the coasts of [[Suffolk]], [[Norfolk]] and [[Lincolnshire]] is subject to an MLS of {{convert|115|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}}, rather than the {{convert|140|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} MLS in most of the species' range. An intermediate value of {{convert|130|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on}} is used in the rest of the North Sea between the [[56th parallel north|56°N]] and the [[Essex]]–[[Kent]] border, and in the [[Irish Sea]] south of [[55th parallel north|55°N]]. Around [[Devon]], [[Cornwall]], and the [[Isles of Scilly]], the MLS for males is different  ({{convert|160|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on|disp=or}}) from females ({{convert|140|mm|in|frac=8|abbr=on|disp=or}}).<ref name="Seafish"/> The Norwegian catch is 8,500 tons annually, compared to 20,000 tons in the United Kingdom, 13,000 tons in Ireland, 8,500 tons in France, and a total 45,000 tons globally.<ref>{{cite web |title=Taskekrabbe |trans-title=Edible crab |language=no |url=http://www.imr.no/__data/page/8431/2.7_Taskekrabbe.pdf |author=Knut Sunnanå |publisher=[[Norwegian Institute of Marine Research]] }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Recent studies have shown that edible crabs are negatively affected by electromagnetic fields  emitted from sub-sea power cables around offshore wind farms.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=2018-06-01|title=Understanding the effects of electromagnetic field emissions from Marine Renewable Energy Devices (MREDs) on the commercially important edible crab, Cancer pagurus (L.)|journal=Marine Pollution Bulletin|language=en|volume=131|issue=Pt A|pages=580–588|doi=10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.04.062|pmid=29886985|issn=0025-326X|last1=Scott|first1=Kevin|last2=Harsanyi|first2=Petra|last3=Lyndon|first3=Alastair R.|s2cid=47007844 }}</ref>

==Cookery==
[[File:Knieper.jpg|thumb|The cooked claws of edible crab]]
Around one-third of the weight of an adult edible crab is meat, of which one-third is white meat from the claws (see [[declawing of crabs]]), and two-thirds is white and brown meat from the body.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Alan Davidson |author2=Tom Jaine |year=2006 |title=The Oxford Companion to Food |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-280681-9 |chapter=Common crab |page=222 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JTr-ouCbL2AC&pg=PA222}}</ref> As food, male edible crabs are referred to as cocks and females as hens. Cocks have more sweet white meat; hens have more rich brown meat.<ref>{{cite news |title=Food detective: crabs |work=[[The Times]] |date=February 9, 2008 |author=Sheila Keating  |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article3304808.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516223609/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/article3304808.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |access-date=June 26, 2011}}</ref> Dishes include [[dressed crab]] (crab meat arranged in the cleaned shell, sometimes with decoration of other foodstuffs), soups such as [[Bisque (food)|bisque]] or [[bouillabaisse]], ''[[pâté]]s, [[mousse]]s'', and hot ''[[soufflé]]s''.<ref>{{cite book |author=Rowland Foote |year=1996 |title=Food preparation and cooking: Cookery units. Student guide |series=Catering and hospitality, NVQ/SVQ2 |edition=2nd |publisher=[[Nelson Thornes]] |isbn=978-0-7487-2566-3 |chapter=Types of shellfish |pages=306–309 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRcidxIUWYMC&pg=PA306}}</ref>

==Taxonomy and systematics==

According to the rules of the [[International Code of Zoological Nomenclature]], ''Cancer pagurus'' was first described by [[Carl Linnaeus]] in 1758, in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|tenth edition]] of his ''[[Systema Naturae]]'', which marks the starting point of zoological nomenclature. It was chosen to be the [[type species]] of the genus ''[[Cancer (genus)|Cancer]]'' by [[Pierre André Latreille]] in 1810.<ref name="Ng">{{cite journal|journal=[[Raffles Bulletin of Zoology]] |year=2008 |volume=17 |pages=1–286 |title=Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world |author1=Peter K. L. Ng |author2=Danièle Guinot |author3=Peter J. F. Davie |url=http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s17/s17rbz.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606061453/http://rmbr.nus.edu.sg/rbz/biblio/s17/s17rbz.pdf |archive-date=2011-06-06 }}</ref> The [[specific name (zoology)|specific epithet]] {{wikt-lang|la|pagurus}} is a [[Latin]] word, deriving from the {{langx|grc|πάγουρος}} ({{transliteration|grc|pagouros}}), which, alongside {{wikt-lang|grc|κάρκινος}} ({{transliteration|grc|karkinos}}), was used to refer to edible marine crabs; neither classical term can be confidently assigned to a particular species.<ref>{{cite book |author=Andrew Dalby |year=2003 |title=Food in the ancient world from A to Z |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-0-415-23259-3 |chapter=Crab |page=105 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FtIXAe2qYDgC&pg=PA105}}</ref>

Although the genus ''Cancer'' formerly included most crabs,<ref>{{cite book |author1=Gary C. B. Poore |author2=Shane T. Ahyong |year=2004 |title=Marine decapod Crustacea of southern Australia: a guide to identification |publisher=[[CSIRO Publishing]] |isbn=978-0-643-06906-0 |chapter=Cancridae Latreille, 1803 |pages=401–403 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZZWnuGc0xlMC&pg=PA401}}</ref> it has since been restricted to eight species.<ref name="Ng"/> Within that set of closely related species, the closest relative of ''C. pagurus'' is the [[Jonah crab]], ''C. borealis'', from the east coast of [[North America]].<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Michelle K. Harrison |author2=Bernard J. Crespi |year=1999 |title=Phylogenetics of ''Cancer'' crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) |journal=[[Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution]] |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=186–199 |doi=10.1006/mpev.1998.0608 |url=http://decapoda.arthroinfo.org/pdfs/4160/4160.pdf |pmid=10381321}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Crustaceans}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Cancer pagurus|''Cancer pagurus''}}
*[https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/dressedcrab_90206 Dressed crab], recipe from [[BBC Food]]
* {{SealifePhotos|107276}}

{{Edible crustaceans}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q752188}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cancroidea]]
[[Category:Edible crustaceans]]
[[Category:Commercial crustaceans]]
[[Category:Crabs of the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:Crustaceans described in 1758]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]