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 minutus (Linnaeus, 1758) - Columbus or Gulf-weed crab - a non-native species (Crustaceans)
Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 1

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 2

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 3

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 4

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 5

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 6

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- collection of crabs 1

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- in-situ on fishing buoy 1

Specimens above were found on a fishing buoy that was washed-up from the Americas at Marazion, Cornwall. 26.12.15.

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 7

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 8

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- front edge of carapace 1

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- right corner of carapace 1

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- front of crab 1

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- claw 1

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- dorsal view carapace 9

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- on stalked barnacles 1

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- on stalked barnacles 2

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- on stalked barnacles 3

Specimen found amongst Stalked barnacles, Lepas anatifera, on a commercial fishing float, washed-up at Perranporth, Cornwall. 25.11.15.

Columbus crab
Planes minutus
- two crabs on fishing float 1

Specimen found amongst Stalked barnacles, Lepas anatifera, on a commercial fishing float, washed-up at Praa Sands,, Cornwall. 02.12.15.

Planes minutus arrives here on driftwood and other 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 or shellfish.

Columbus Crab Planes minutus 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.