Southern spider crab

Jacquinotia edwardsii

Crustaceans
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth32–361 m
Water temperature8–18 °C
Best monthsJanuary, February, and December
How commonOccasional

Photo credit: (c) B. W. Hayward, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

About this species

Jacquinotia is a genus of spider crab that contains one species, Jacquinotia edwardsii. J. edwardsii is the largest crab in New Zealand and is commonly known as the southern spider crab or the giant spider crab.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Jacquinotia”, 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: 109 records
February: 109 records
March: 19 records
April: 5 records
May: 12 records
June: 5 records
July: 4 records
August: 0 records
September: 1 records
October: 4 records
November: 7 records
December: 91 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 32–361 m · Deepest record: 787 m

0–10 m: 6 records
10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 58 records
30–40 m: 38 records
40–50 m: 37 records
50–60 m: 38 records
60–70 m: 14 records
70–80 m: 23 records
80–90 m: 18 records
90–100 m: 8 records
100–110 m: 17 records
110+ m: 443 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–18 °C

6–8 °C: 80 records
8–10 °C: 550 records
10–12 °C: 92 records
12–14 °C: 9 records
14–16 °C: 1 records
16–18 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

English: Southern spider crab, southern spider crab

Names in 2 more languages

German: Südliche Seespinne, südliche Spinnenkrabbe
French: araignée du Sud

Other scientific names: Campbellia kohli, Paramicippa grandis, Prionorhynchus edwardsii

Similar species

Great spider crab
Leptomithrax gaimardii
Golden Decorator Crab
Naxia aurita
Triangle crab
Eurynolambrus australis
Leptomithrax australis
Leptomithrax longipes
Leptomithrax mortenseni

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).
752 open-data records from 1907 to 2024.
Species data updated November 3, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist