Relevant Synonyms - Misidentification -  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Carapace depressed, oblong, granular, broadened anteriorly, regions ill-defined, with two spines medially on gastric region, one spine each on branchial region, and at least four spines on lateral margin. Carapace, pereopods tomentose. Front deflexed, lamellar, moderately broad, terminating in two outcurved, divergent spines. Basal antennal articles expanded, occupying space between rostrum and orbit, tuberculate on anterior, lateral margins. Eye-stalk long, cornea ventral. Supra-orbital ridge strongly arched, contiguous with spiniform post-ocular tooth. Male cheliped, as long as carapace, granular, with chela slender, fingers long, nearly straight. Female cheliped, shorter than carapace, fingers minute. Walking legs elongate, stout, sub-cylindrical; longitudinal groove dorsally on carpus; dactyls curved. First male pleopod compressed, arched, tip spear-like. color : carapace and legs pale orange, somewhat mottled; cheliped fingers dark brown. common size : CL 4 cm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Front ventrally deflexed, rostral spines short, outcurved; margin of carapace prominently spinose. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Poorly known. habitat : 2-100 m, sandy, muddy, gravel, shell grit bottoms, among stones.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Turkey, 1995 [1994]. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Indo-West Pacific. Mediterranean : recorded first from Turkey (Enzenross and Enzenross, 1995 [1994]). Subsequently collected in Lebanon, (Bitar and Zibrowius, pers. comm., 1999; identification confirmed by B. Galil); off Fethiye, southwestern coast of Turkey, (Grippa, pers. comm., 2003); one specimen was collected in Ibn Hani, North of Latakia, Syria, in April 1993 (Hasan et al., 2008). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Rare. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Presumably via the Suez Canal. IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Enzenross R. and L. Enzenross, 1995. Erstnachweis indopazifischer Brachyura (Crustacea: Decapoda) von der türkischen Mittelmeerküste. Stuttgarter Beiträge zur Naturkunde, Serie A (Biologie), 521: 1-4. Griffin D.J.G. and H.A. Tranter, 1986. The Decapoda Brachyura of the Siboga Expedition. VIII. Majidae. Siboga Expeditie Monographie, 39C4. 335 pp. Kocatas A., T. Katagan and A.S. Ates, 2002. Lessepsian invasion decapod crustaceans at Turkish seas. In: Öztürk B. and N. Basusta (eds.), Workshop on Lessepsian Migrations. Turkish Marine Research Foundation Publication, 9: 56-58.   d'Udekem d'Acoz C., 1999. Inventaire et distribution des crustacés décapodes de l'Atlantique nord-oriental, de la Méditerranée et des eaux continentales adjacentes au nord de 25°N. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, Service du patrimoine naturel, MNHN Paris, 40, 383 p. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: October 2008 ©ciesm 2002