[4] It is a large crab that can reach up to 19 cm (7.5 in) in carapace length, and it is the target of commercial fishing.

[5] It experiences respiratory acidosis and hyperglycemia after prolonged exposure to air;[6] however, these levels eventually return to normal after reimmersion, making it capable of withstanding long periods of aerial exposure with no detrimental effect on mortality.

[7] The population of Lithodes santolla has seen a dramatic decline due to commercial fishing.

[5] The lucrative centolla fishery around Tierra del Fuego led to an incident in August 1967 when the Argentine schooner Cruz del Sur was found fishing 400 metres (1,300 ft) from Gable Island and had to be escorted out of Chilean waters by the Chilean patrol boat Marinero Fuentealba.

The United States Food and Drug Administration lists the centolla crab and southern king crab as two separate species: Lithodes antarcticus and Lithodes santolla respectively.