Depth
Eriphia · Crustaceans (Crabs, Shrimps & Lobsters)

Warty Crab

Eriphia verrucosa

0-40m
Depth Range
Variable
Max Size
Mediterranean
Distribution
0-40m
Depth Range
Variable
Max Size
Reef & Open
Habitat
Carnivore
Diet
Solitary
Social
LC
IUCN Status
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Arthropoda
Class Malacostraca
Genus Eriphia
Species verrucosa

Crustacean

Identification & Biology

  • IdentificationA stocky, powerfully built crab with a dark reddish-brown to purple-brown carapace and massive, unequal claws tipped with black. The shell surface has a rough, warty texture. The larger claw is powerful enough to crack open shellfish and even draw blood from a careless handler.
  • SizeCarapace width up to 9 cm. The claws are disproportionately large and strong for the body size.
  • Social HabitSolitary and aggressive. Highly territorial, defending its crevice from other crabs. Mainly active at dusk and night.
  • HabitatRocky intertidal zone, rock pools, and shallow subtidal rocks. Prefers crevices and gaps in boulders on wave-exposed shores.
  • Depth0 to 3 m. Primarily an intertidal and very shallow subtidal species.
  • Feeds OnMussels, limpets, sea urchins, barnacles, small crabs, and worms. Uses its powerful claws to prise open and crush hard-shelled prey.
  • DistributionEastern Atlantic from Brittany to Mauritania and the Azores, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea. Common on Maltese rocky shores.
  • DescriptionEriphia verrucosa is the heavyweight brawler of the Maltese shoreline. Its powerful claws can deliver a painful pinch and are strong enough to crack open mussels and sea urchins. Rock-poolers in Malta will often find one wedged deep into a crevice, claws presented outward in a defensive posture. Despite being common, it has declined in the Black Sea and is now listed in the Ukrainian Red Data Book.

Range

Habitat & Distribution

Found across the Mediterranean, inhabiting reef & open environments. Active from the surface down to 40m depth.

Where Malta divers have spotted this species

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Sightings are logged by divers using our What Did You See? dive-log tool. View the full live sightings map.

Detail

Preferred Environment

Reef & Open habitats, typically at depths of 0-40m. Most commonly encountered by divers at the shallower end of its range.

Encounter Tips

Best approached slowly and calmly. Avoid casting shadows directly over the animal. Neutral buoyancy and patience increase encounter success significantly.

Warty Crab species card

Biology

Behaviour & Diet

Feeding Strategy

Omnivorous predator and scavenger that feeds on algae, small invertebrates, and organic debris on rocky substrates. Active mainly at night, foraging in shallow sublittoral zones.

Omnivorous predator

Reproduction

Females carry orange egg masses beneath the abdomen during spring and summer. Larvae develop through planktonic zoea stages before settling.

Seasonal spawning

Behaviour & Defence

Its dark, heavily textured carapace covered in rounded tubercles provides excellent camouflage on rocky substrates. Wedges tightly into crevices when threatened.

Crevice wedging

Dive with diveshack

Where to Encounter in Malta

The following dive sites offer strong habitat match for Eriphia verrucosa. All are accessible on a guided dive with diveshack.

5-30m
North Malta

Cirkewwa

Rocky reef with caves, arches and ledges hosting a rich diversity of reef species.

View dive site ›
5-50m
Gozo

Blue Hole

One of the Med's most famous reef dive sites. Rocky walls and archways covered in life.

View dive site ›
18-36m
South Malta

Um El Faroud

The wreck lies on a sandy bottom surrounded by rocky reef -- a diverse habitat attracting reef species.

View dive site ›
IUCN Red List Least Concern

Conservation Status

This species is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Mediterranean populations face ongoing pressure from fishing activity, habitat degradation, and climate-driven changes to prey availability.

Source: iNaturalist Guide #888
by Lesley Clements (CC BY-SA)
diveshack Mediterranean Marine Life guide