APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

A-P-H-O-T-O Wildlife Stock Image Library
Planes marinus Rathbun, 1914 ? - Drifter crab - a non-native species (Crustacean images)
Scroll down and rollover titles to change screen image or click on title to view image.
Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- dorsal view female 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- carapace of female 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- with 1.0mm division rule 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- female with male (right) 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- female in aquarium 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- female in aquarium 2

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- female in aquarium 3

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- female in aquarium 4

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- female in aquarium 5

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- dorsal view female 2

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- dorsal view male 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- ventral view male 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- male with 1mm division rule 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- male with female (left) 1

Columbus crab
Planes marinus
- piece of sleeper / flotsam 1

The two specimens above, one male and one female were found in a hollow in the end of a section of sleeper at Sennen Cove, Penwith, Cornwall, 15.12.11. Both were placed in a saltwater marine aquarum, the male survived one week, the female eighteen months.

Species identified by Jack Sewell and confirmed by Dr. Charles Frensen, Curator of Crustacea at Naturalis.

Planes marinus arrives here on flotsam from the tropics. The crab does not survive here because of the colder waters around our coast. If found they will happily live indoors at room temperature in a saltwater aquarium, and can be fed on live prey or pieces of white fish, shellfish or crab sticks.

Planes marinus Drifter crab Crustacean Images
The main objective of this website is in furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography. To increase awareness and access to the wildlife of the region and help
people find and identify it. Sometimes the difference between species is obvious but many species can only be determined by observing microscopic characteristics that are specific to any one species.