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A crab previously unknown in the European fauna was discovered in La Rochelle (France) in 1994. This shore crab was identified as Hemigrapsus penicillatus, a North-West Pacific species. It appears to be spreading rapidly. It has now been detected from Laredo, Spain (43 °25′N, 03 °20′W) to Fromentine, France (46°53′N, 02°09′W) in sheltered areas of the mid-littoral zone. It is locally abundant, with a density of up to 10–20 individuals per square metre. In its native area, its distribution ranges from a cold (northern Japan, south of the Pacific coast of Russia) to a tropical (Taiwan, Hong-Kong) habitat. Being tolerant to both high and low temperatures (even at freezing point), it will probably colonize most of the European and North-African coasts within a short period of time.