Description
The velvet swimming crab has conspicuous red eyes and the last section of the last pair of walking legs is flattened to a paddle, with a clear pattern of dark lines. The carapace has a velvet shine, because it is covered with short hairs, that give this animal its name. With older animals, these heirs can be warn of. They are no vegetarians and will eat almost everything they can catch or find.

Size
The width of the carapace is up to 102 mm by males and up to 90 mm by females.

Colour
The hairs are brownish. The carapace and legs are brown with blue to purple lines and red spots. The claws are dark purple, the eyes are shiny red.

Habitat
The velvet swimming crab can be found from the tidal zone to a depth of 36 meters. They prefer hard substrata. In the autumn they will move to deeper water.

Distribution
From southwestern Norway to Western Sahara, western Mediterranean Sea.