The European spider crab (Lat. Maja squinado). It is the sole European representative of the subfamily Majinae (Ingle, 1980) and is the largest of approximately 66 species of majid crabs occuring in the north-eastern Atlantic. During the summer depth distribution is coastal, extending from 20-30 m up to the low water mark and even into the intertidal zone, whereas during winter most of them are found at depths of around 50-90 m and occasionally down to 120m. It is migratory crab and some of them can cover up to 160 km in 8 months. The largest crab in the Adriatic Sea spread along the entire coast, most often on a sandy-shell bottom. Can reach 22 cm of carapax lenght. It is often masked, mostly by algae. Feeds on macroalgae and benthic inveterates. Females can produce up to four broods per year. It is fished with nets.