What is an Opilio Crab?

Opilio Crabs live in a very limited area of the world and are consumed mostly in the countries that harvest them, namely Russia, Japan, Canada and the United States.

  1. Family

    • The opilio crab belongs to the spider crab family and is sold as snow crab. There are four distinct species of opilio crab: Chionoecetes opilio, C.hairdi, C. tanneri and C. japonicus

    Habitat

    • The opilio crab lives in northen shallow water parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, primarily around Alaska, Russia, Quebec, new Brunswick and Newfoundland.

    Features

    • The opilio crab has four pairs of very long legs that make the rest of the oval shaped body seem small. The crab weights between 2 and 5 lbs.

    Colors

    • The opilio crab has a red/orange colored back and legs that are orange near the body and tan or white on the bottom.

    Uses

    • Opilio is fished commercially as a food item. The season is very short--just the month of January.