Relevant Synonyms Cycloes cristata Garcia Raso, 1993 Misidentification -  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Carapace pentagonal, convex. Front narrow, bidentate. Antero-lateral margins of carapace arcuate, coarsely granulate; lateral spine small; postero-lateral margins convergent. Chelipeds massive, subequal. Upper margin of palm crested, with nine foliate lobes; keel-like tooth proximally near lower margin; larger dactylus proximally with crochet tooth fitting into molariform depression, with milled ridge distally. Walking legs laterally compressed, dactyls styliform. First male pleopod stout, tapering; second male pleopod filamentose, distally crook-shaped. color : carapace pale yellow, with pink spots; chelipeds internal surface marbled and spotted with purplish pink; walking legs yellow, joints spotted with purplish pink. common size : CL males 5.9 cm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Differs from Calappa spp. in having postero-lateral margins of carapace convergent, and from Ashtoret in having walking legs end in styliform dactyls. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Ovigerous females collected in March, May, August, October and December. habitat : sandy or coralligenous bottoms; 2-75 m.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Alboran Sea, Spain, 1993 [1987]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Tropical eastern Atlantic. Mediterranean : a single record from Alboran Sea, Spain (García Raso, 1993 [1987]). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Known from a single record. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Unknown. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Galil B.S. and P.F. Clark, 1996. A revision of Cryptosoma Brullé, 1837 and Cycloes de Haan, 1837 (Crustacea: Brachyura: Calappidae). Zoological Journal of the Linnaean Society, 117: 175-204. García Raso J.E., 1993. New record of another African species of Crustacea Decapoda, Cycloes cristata (Brullé) from European and Mediterranean waters. Bios, 1(1): 215-221.   FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: November 2002 ©ciesm 2002