#metacarcinus

[unofficial-sean]

Oh, to be cradled on the sandy sea floor by a big male after molting 🥺🥺🥺

[drhoz]

#3719 - Metacarcinus novaezelandiae - Pie Crust Crab

Found this claw at the Banks Peninsula, but found a carapace at Moeraki a week later.

You can see why they call it a Pie Crust Crab.

Formerly Cancer novaezelandiae.

A large carnivorous crab found around New Zealand, and SE Australia, where they have lived for well over 5 million years. Possibly as many as 23.

There are 5 living and 9 extinct species in the genus, although genetic evidence suggests they need to be broken up into more genera. All of them are found around the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The best-known is probably Metacarcinus magister, the Dungeness crab, from the West Coast of North America.

Ōnawe Peninsula, Akaroa Harbour, Banks Peninsula,  Aotearoa, New Zealand