Maja squinado

Maja squinado is a large spider crab found in the Mediterranean Sea and nearby eastern Atlantic waters. It is valued as seafood and is distinguished by its spiny shell and long legs.

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Majoidea: Majoidea is a superfamily of crabs commonly known as spider crabs. Maja squinado belongs to this spider-crab superfamily.
Crustacean larva: A crustacean larva is an immature stage that differs in form from the adult and often disperses through water. Its planktonic young pass through larval forms before settling into crab-like juveniles.
Crab fishery: A crab fishery is the harvesting of crab populations for food or other commercial uses. The species supports coastal fisheries across parts of its range.
Maja brachydactyla: Maja brachydactyla is an Atlantic spider crab historically confused with Maja squinado. This closely related species occurs mainly in northeastern Atlantic waters and is taxonomically distinct.
Lusitanian biogeographic province: The Lusitanian biogeographic province is a temperate marine region spanning the Atlantic coasts of western Europe. Its eastern Atlantic distribution overlaps waters commonly assigned to this province.
Maja: Maja is a genus of spider crabs native to the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean region. This is the genus that contains Maja squinado.
Zoea: A zoea is a planktonic larval stage of many decapod crustaceans, marked by prominent spines and swimming appendages. This is one of the early larval forms in the crab's development.
Crab trap: A crab trap is a device designed to capture crabs while allowing smaller animals to escape. Traps are among the methods used to harvest spider crabs.
Mediterranean Sea: The Mediterranean Sea is an enclosed sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar. It contains much of the species' native range.
Carl Linnaeus: Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish naturalist who established modern binomial nomenclature. Linnaeus described the species in the eighteenth century.