Iwagani (Rock Crab) - Lined Shore Crab

Japanese: イワガニ(岩蟹) - イワガニ（英語表記）lined shore crab

In some areas, it is also called the blue crab (illustration). It is a crab of the family Grapsidae that lives on rocky reefs facing the open ocean, living in the crevices and depressions of rocks and spending more time moving on exposed rocks than submerged in water. The carapace is 4 cm wide. The carapace is rectangular and slightly wider at the front, with many lines running diagonally inward from the side edge. The forehead is broad and plate-like. There is a deep notch behind the external orbital teeth on the anterior edge of the carapace. The carapace is greenish brown, and the walking legs are dark brown. It is commonly found from southern Hokkaido to Kyushu and off the coast of Korea, but is also widely distributed along the coasts of the eastern Pacific Ocean from Oregon to the Galapagos Islands.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

地方によってはアブラガニとも呼ぶ（イラスト）。外洋に面した岩礁にすむ甲殻綱イワガニ科のカニで，岩の割れ目やくぼみにすみ，水にひたっているよりも露出した岩の上を活動している時間のほうが長い。甲幅4cm。甲は前方にやや広い四角形で，側縁から内側に斜めに走る線が多数ある。額は幅広く，板状。甲の前側縁には眼窩（がんか）外歯の後方に深い切れ込みが一つある。甲は緑褐色，歩脚は暗褐色。北海道南部から九州，韓国沿岸にごくふつうに見られるが，東太平洋のオレゴン州からガラパゴス諸島に至る沿岸にも広く分布している。

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