Purple Shore Crab

Northern Beaches FaunaAustralian Bush Turkey Blue Bottles By-the-wind Sailor Common Brushtail Possum Purple Shore Crab Red-tipped Crab Spider Three-bar Porcupinefish

The Purple Shore Crab (Leptograpsus variegatus) also known as the Purple Rock Crab, pictured here was photographed on Dee Why Beach in the Northern Beaches of New South Wales.

They are often sighted along rocky coasts, especially those exposed to strong surf. They can be found sheltering in crevices and under rocks from mid to high tide mark. The pictured Leptograpsus variegatus was photographed on the southern end of the Dee Why beach, where the surfers are. This was when the tide was out, exposing the rocks and crevices.

Currently the Leptograpsus variegatus is the only species in the genus Leptograpsus.

The mature crab has an purple colouration with variable amount of white patterning, whilst the juveniles are a bluish grey colour with black patterning. They have purplish claws. There are variations in colouration, some pale yellowish in colour with black patterning and there is a documented case of a yellow Leptograpsus variegatus.

They are omnivore and will eat a range of plant and animal life, including barnacles and limpets. The adult crab can grow to approximately 80 millimetres in the carapace (shell) width. It is a marine large-eyed crab that is found in southern subtropical Indo-Pacific Oceans region.

Common name
Known as the Purple Shore Crab, the Purple Rock Crab and the Purple Swift-footed Shore Crab. Whilst the common name often refers to the colour of the crab (in some instances it is the claws that are purple), they are variable in colour, with some noted to not display any purple.