On the occurrence of the thumbnail crab Thia scutellata in the inner German Bight

The thumbnail crab Thia scutellata occurs in the German Bight in at least two stable populations: at Borkum Riff and Loreley Bank. The western (Borkum Riff) population is larger than the eastern (Loreley Bank) one, probably because of the more frequent ingression of south-western warmer water along the Dutch coast. The sediments of these two localities are well-sorted middle sands with a very low amount of finer fractions.