Pachygrapsus marmoratus, also known as the marbled crab, is a species in the family
Grapsidae, the marsh crabs. The species is found in southern Europe and northern Africa, in the waters of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and parts of the Atlantic Ocean. It is a dark violet-brown crab, with yellow marbling, and with a body up to 36 millimetres (1.4 inches) long. A
semiaquatic omnivore, it feeds on
algae and various animals including
mussels and
limpets. This
P. marmoratus crab was photographed near the shore of
Butrint Lagoon in
Butrint National Park, southern Albania, near the coast of the
Ionian Sea. The picture has been
focus-stacked from 12 separate images.
Photograph credit: Charles J. Sharp
_Butrint.jpg)