Paralomis zealandica

Crustaceans
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth539–866 m
Water temperature8–20 °C
Best monthsJanuary, October, and December
How commonRare

About this species

Paralomis zealandica, also known as the prickly king crab, is a species of king crab. It is the most widespread species of Paralomis in New Zealand, where it is endemic and known at depths between 254–1,212 m (833–3,976 ft).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Paralomis zealandica”, 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: 9 records
February: 0 records
March: 0 records
April: 5 records
May: 2 records
June: 0 records
July: 0 records
August: 1 records
September: 0 records
October: 8 records
November: 4 records
December: 6 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 539–866 m · Deepest record: 1,418.5 m

460–470 m: 1 records
470–480 m: 0 records
480–490 m: 2 records
490–500 m: 0 records
500–510 m: 0 records
510–520 m: 1 records
520–530 m: 2 records
530–540 m: 5 records
540–550 m: 10 records
550–560 m: 5 records
560–570 m: 2 records
570+ m: 82 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 8–20 °C

6–8 °C: 14 records
8–10 °C: 18 records
10–12 °C: 49 records
12–14 °C: 24 records
14–16 °C: 4 records
16–18 °C: 0 records
18–20 °C: 1 records

Names and classification

Other scientific names: Paralomis shinkaimaruae

Similar species

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).
130 open-data records from 1965 to 2022.
Species data updated November 5, 2026.

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