PURSE CRABS
LEUCOSIDAE
Mottled Purse Crab
Persephona mediterranea
Size
Carapace to 6cm long. 

Description
:
Carapace circular, inflated, anterior end squared off, short; carapace and claws light colored with reddish,
brownish or purplish mottling; claw appendages long and slender; single line of tubercles (small bumps) defining lateral margin of carapace; 3 spines on the posterior lateral margin of the carapace.

Ecology
Sandy or muddy bottoms, including in seagrass beds. Depths from 5-90m (15-270ft), but often washed ashore. Presumed to be omnivorous.

Life Cycle
Adult females are characterized as having the abdomen formed into a hemispherical cup that snaps shut against the sternum to form a brooding chamber for the eggs. Mating behavior: Precopulatory courtship ritual is common (through olfactory and tactile cues).

Notes
One of 5 (previously classified as 6 species) in the Tropical Western Atlantic area.
    Ecological Descriptors
Habitat Size (cm) Diet Behaviour Sex 
S, M 6 (long) Omn (?) I F
Mottled Purse Crab
Mottled Purse Crab
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