Carrier crab
Dorippe frascone
- Usual depth3–77 m
- Water temperature24–30 °C
- Best monthsMay, July, and August
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Chaloklum Diving, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Dorippe frascone, the urchin crab or carrier crab, is a small species of crab in the family Dorippidae that was first described scientifically by J.F.W. Herbst, in 1785. It is found in the Red Sea and parts of the western and eastern Indian Ocean. It often has a symbiotic relationship with a long-spined sea urchin and carries one around on its carapace.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Dorippe frascone”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 7 records
- February: 3 records
- March: 3 records
- April: 5 records
- May: 11 records
- June: 8 records
- July: 16 records
- August: 11 records
- September: 7 records
- October: 7 records
- November: 7 records
- December: 5 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 3–77 m · Deepest record: 77 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 24–30 °C
Photos
(c) Chaloklum Diving, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Chaloklum Diving, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Franz Anthony, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Franz Anthony, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Kai Squires, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Carrier crab, Sea urchin crab, Urchin crab, carrier crab, sea urchin crab, urchin crab
Names in 1 more languages
- German
- Seeigelkrabbe, Seeigel-Krabbe
Other scientific names: Cancer frascone, Cancer nodulosus, Dorippe (Dorippe) frascone
Similar species
Leaf-porter crabNeodorippe callida
Granulated mask crabParadorippe granulata
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 33 open-data records from 1785 to 2014.
- Species data updated November 2, 2026.
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