Petrolisthes cabrilloi

The Cabrillo porcelain crab is a smooth porcelain crab with a dull orange carapace that is marked by small spots.^[2] These spots have some pubescence in them, with the carapace noticeably hairier in juveniles.^[2] The chelipeds, commonly called pincers or claws, are large, about three times the width of the carapace.^[2] Each cheliped is flattened and has a carpus ("wrist") that is about twice as long than it is wide,^[2] without strong tubercles or teeth adorning it.^[6] P. cabrilloi is the most similar in appearance to P. cinctipes,^[2] and is often found under the same rocks,^[7] but only P. cabrilloi has pubescent, setose ambulatory legs, a carpus length twice that of the width, and juvenile carapace pubescence.^[2]

P. cabrilloi has the longest cheliped tufts of any Petrolisthes species in California.^[7] While Petrolisthes species are primarily filter feeders, these tufts can be used to capture food particles while scraping it from environmental surfaces.^[7] P. cabrilloi likewise differs from other Petrolisthes species by its higher tolerance for sand and turbid water,^[2] but is also often found with other Petrolisthes species in the rocky intertidal zone.^[7]