Liocarcinus pusillus, common name dwarf swimming crab,[1] is a species of crab in the Portunidae family.[2]
Liocarcinus pusillus is a small, colourful species with a broad, suboval carapace having a maximum width of 25mm. However, most specimens are usually less than 20mm.[2] [3] This species occurs in a wide range of colours.[2] The front has three sharpened tusks, directed forward.[1]
Liocarcinus pusillus occurs from North-West Africa, to Lofoten, Norway[2] [3] including the North Sea.[1] It is found around the shores of: England, in such places as Northumberland, Yorkshire, The Wash, Thames, the eastern English Channel, Isle of Wight, Portland, Plymouth, the Scilly Isles, the Bristol Channel, Liverpool Bay; Scotland - Shetland, Orkney, Firth of Forth, Argyll and Clyde, The Minch; Ireland, occurring in and around Dublin, Belfast, County Mayo, Galway Bay, Fastnet Rock, County Cork; and elsewhere in the British Isles including the Channel Islands, Anglesey and the Isle of Man.[4]
Specimens range intertidally up to 100 metres,[3] dwelling on sandy to stony bottoms,[2] [4] but prefer gravel or stony substrates.