Cabrillo Porcelain Crab

The Cabrillo porcelain crab is a smooth porcelain crab with a dull orange carapace that is marked by small spots. These spots have some pubescence in them, with the carapace noticeably hairier in juveniles. The chelipeds, commonly called pincers or claws, are large, about three times the width of the carapace. Each cheliped is flattened and has a carpus ("wrist") that is about twice as long than it is wide, without strong tubercles or teeth adorning it. P. cabrilloi is the most similar in appearance to P. cinctipes, and is often found under the same rocks, but only P. cabrilloi has pubescent, setose ambulatory legs, a carpus length twice that of the width, and juvenile carapace pubescence. P. cabrilloi has the longest cheliped tufts of any Petrolisthes species in California. While Petrolisthes species are primarily filter feeders, these tufts can be used to capture food particles while scraping it from environmental surfaces. P. cabrilloi likewise differs from other Petrolisthes species by its higher tolerance for sand and turbid water, but is also often found with other Petrolisthes species in the rocky intertidal zone.

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