Relevant Synonyms - Misidentification -  drawing : Tuvia Kurz

SHORT DESCRIPTION Carapace transversely oval, convex, regions ill defined, shagreened. Front prominent, bilobed, deflexed, separated by obsolescent notch from inner orbital tooth. Median groove anterior to gastric region distinct. Antero-lateral margin with five indistinct teeth, two anterior teeth triangular, fifth tooth small. Chelipeds stout, unequal, finely granulate. Merus triquetrous; carpus convex; upper, outer surface of chela finely granulate. Marked groove extending from tip of fixed finger parallel with lower margin in both chelipeds. First male pleopod stout, distally broadened. color : carapace and pereopods reddish-brown, mottled, sternum pale. Cheli-ped fingers dark brown. common size : CL 1.3 cm. DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS Front prominent, bilobed; chelipeds with marked groove on distal third, parallel with lower margin, extending to tip of dactyl; male with abdominal segments 3-5 articulate. BIOLOGY / ECOLOGY Poorly known. habitat : subtidally, in rock crevices.

1st MEDITERRANEAN RECORD Egypt, 1976. DISTRIBUTION Worldwide : Indo-West Pacific. Mediterranean : a single record from Egypt (Ramadan and Dowidar, 1976). ESTABLISHMENT SUCCESS Known from a single record. speculated reasons for success : - MODE OF INTRODUCTION Via the Suez Canal (Ramadan and Dowidar, 1976). IMPORTANCE TO HUMANS None.

KEY REFERENCES Dai A. and S. Yang, 1991. Crabs of the China Seas. 682 pp. Beijing, China Ocean Press. Ramadan S.E. and N.M. Dowidar, 1976. Brachyura (Decapoda Crustacea) from the Mediterranean waters of Egypt. Thalassia jugoslavica, 8(1): 127-139. FEEDBACK / COMMENTS TO AUTHORS

Last update of the species sheet: 2009 ©ciesm 2002