They are relatively small, long-legged crabs found on soft bottoms at depths of up 700 metres (2,300 ft) in mostly tropical and subtemperate waters around the world.

[1] Their carapace is very small and doesn’t cover the bases of their legs, which protrude from the cephalothorax in a spider-like manner.

They are characterized by their long, skinny legs, which help them move sideways(their fourth pereopod is used for locomotion), and their small carapace.

[5] In some species, the same pereopod also has a small subchelate digit at its end which is likely used to hold objects.

[citation needed] Like most other crabs, those in the Latreilliidae family have a mainly omnivorous diet, feeding on organisms like algae, barnacles, and shrimps.

They start off as microscopic zoea larvae, which moult and grow constantly until they reach the adult stage.