VU — Vulnerable

Limulus polyphemus

Conservation status data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

↓Decreasing

Population trend

Countries

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_horseshoe_crab

01 — Classification

Taxonomy & Classification

Kingdom

ANIMALIA

Phylum

ARTHROPODA

Class

MEROSTOMATA

Order

XIPHOSURA

Family

LIMULIDAE

Genus

Limulus

Limulus polyphemus belongs to the family LIMULIDAE, order XIPHOSURA, within the MEROSTOMATA class.

03 — Habitat

Habitat & Distribution

Forest - Subtropical/tropical mangrove vegetationMajorMarine coastal/supratidalMajorMarine intertidalMajorMarine neriticMajorWetlands (inland) - Permanent freshwater lakesMajorWetlands (inland) - Permanent rivers/streamsMajor

04 — Threats

Threats

Agricultural & forestry effluents

Ongoing

Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources

Ongoing

Garbage & solid waste

Ongoing

Habitat shifting & alteration

Ongoing

Housing & urban areas

Ongoing

Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals

Ongoing

Other ecosystem modifications

Ongoing

Other threat

Ongoing

Roads & railroads

Ongoing

Storms & flooding

Ongoing

Type Unknown/Unrecorded (pollution)

Ongoing

Work & other activities

Ongoing

05 — Conservation

Conservation Actions

Site/area protection

Resource & habitat protection

Habitat & natural process restoration

Species management

Species recovery

Awareness & communications

Legislation

Policies and regulations

Compliance and enforcement

06 — Range

Found in 21 Countries

Bahamas Belgium China Cuba Denmark Dominican Republic Germany India Indonesia Israel Jamaica Japan Malaysia Mexico Namibia New Zealand Philippines Portugal Sweden Thailand United States

Community

Community Sightings

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07 — Sources

Sources & Attribution

How to Cite

IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS

GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org

This page: SpeciesRadar (2026). Limulus polyphemus (Limulus polyphemus). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/horseshoe-crab

Full citation guide & data usage terms