Red Deep-sea Crab

The Red Deep-sea Crab Chaceon quinquedens and its relatives live in deep water from 200 to over 1000 m deep. This species lives primarily along the continental slope of the eastern US, but other species in this genus occupy the Gulf of Mexico (Golden crab, Chaceon affinis), the Azores, and the coast of Africa. Our research on red-deep sea crabs supported two PhD students and two M.S students.

Male red deep-sea crab Chaceon quinquedens, captured off of Virginia.

Female red deep-sea crab with newly extruded clutch of eggs.

We sampled crabs from multiple depth zones along the Mid-Atlantic continental slope in 2012-2014 aboard NOAA research vessels.

Red deep-sea crabs are most abundant at 700 m, where they mate and produce egg clutches.

Crab embryos just prior to hatching have large eyespots and reduced yolk.

First stage zoea larvae of red deep-sea crab migrate to the ocean surface.

The F/V Hannah Boden loaded with crab traps before a fishing trip.

Crewman aboard the Hannah Boden pulls trap aboard for unloading.

Red deep-sea crab larvae settle in deep water (>1000 m), then migrate upslope. Crabs mature and mate at 600-800 m of water. Males remain at that depth, but females migrate upslope to hatch larvae in shallower water (250-400 m). Martinez & Stevens, 2020.

Students Stephanie Martinez-Rivera and Justin Wilson practice dissecting red deep-sea crabs prior to boarding fishing vessels for sampling trips.

PhD Student Stephanie Martinez-Rivera dissects a crab aboard the Hannah Boden.

PhD student Shadaesha Green holds a red deep-sea crab.