Lithodes longispina
- Usual depth846–1,340 m
- Water temperature9–21 °C
- Best monthsJanuary and April
- How commonRare
About this species
Lithodes longispina is a species of king crab. It has been found in Japan and Taiwan. Before 2010, its reach was thought to be much greater than presently understood, such as Australia, New Zealand, and Guam. It has also allegedly been sighted in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Lithodes longispina”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
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Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 3 records
- February: 0 records
- March: 1 records
- April: 5 records
- May: 0 records
- June: 1 records
- July: 1 records
- August: 0 records
- September: 0 records
- October: 1 records
- November: 1 records
- December: 0 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 846–1,340 m · Deepest record: 1,942.5 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 9–21 °C
Names and classification
Names in 1 more languages
- Japanese
- ハリイバラガニ
Similar species


- Murray king crab
Lithodes murrayi
Brodie's King CrabNeolithodes brodiei
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).
- 23 open-data records from 1977 to 2007.
- Species data updated November 4, 2026.
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