Metacarcinus edwardsii

Metacarcinus edwardsii, sometimes known as mola rock crab,^[1] southern rock crab,^[2] or Chilean rock crab,^[2] is a species of crab from the Pacific coast of South America.^[1][3]

Metacarcinus edwardsii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Brachyura
Family:	Cancridae
Genus:	Metacarcinus
Species:	M. edwardsii
Binomial name
Metacarcinus edwardsii (Bell, 1835)
Synonyms
Cancer edwardsii Bell, 1835 Cancer edwardsii var. annulipes Miers, 1881

Distribution

Metacarcinus edwardsii is found along the Pacific coast between Guayaquil in Ecuador and the Beagle Channel in the southernmost Chile.^[3]

Description

Females reach functional maturity at carapace width 106 mm (4.2 in), that is, 50% of females are egg-bearing at this size. Males reach functional maturity at slightly larger sizes.^[4] The largest male crabs measure about 165 mm (6.5 in) in carapace width.^[5]

Metacarcinus edwardsii is univoltine, with the mating season from October to January.^[5]

A typical boat involved in the crab fishery in southern Chile

Typical crab trap used to catch Metacarcinus edwardsii in southern Chile

Utilization

In Chile, it is the most important commercially exploited crab, caught exclusively in artisanal fisheries.^[3][4]