Macrophthalmus crassipes

Macrophthalmus crassipes is a species of sentinel crab in the family Macrophthalmidae, found around China, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, and the Caroline Islands.[1] In Australia it is found from north Western Australia through to New South Wales.[1] Common names include the seagrass sentinel crab[2] and the orange spined sentinel crab. On adult males there is a substantial tooth on the lower claw and a much smaller tooth on the upper claw, and noticeable orange spines on the “wrist” (carpus) of the clawed leg and on the palm of the clawed leg.[1] The carapace is covered in small granules, and is up to around 37 mm (1.5 in) across.[3][4] It is a burrowing crab, and lives in open tidal flats, muddy or with sandy mud, low on tidal creek banks, and adjacent mangroves.[1]

Seagrass sentinel crab
On Nudgee Beach, Queensland
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Macrophthalmidae
Genus: Macrophthalmus
Subgenus: Macrophthalmus (Macrophthalmus)
Species:
M. crassipes
Binomial name
Macrophthalmus crassipes

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Davie, P.J.F. (2012). "A review of Macrophthalmus sensu lato (Crustacea:Decapoda:Macrophthalmidae) from Australia, including two new species and new records". Memoirs of the Queensland Museum – Nature. 56 (1). Queensland Museum: 149–219.
  2. ^ "Macrophthalmus crassipes". iNaturalist. California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2022-12-18..
  3. ^ Barnes, R.S.K (1967). "The Macrophthalminae of Australasia; with a review of the evolution and morphological diversity of the type genus Macrophthalmus (Crustacea:Brachyura)". Transactions of the Zoological Society of London. 31: 195–262.
  4. ^ Gary C. B. Poore; Shane T. Ahyong (2004). Marine decapod Crustacea of southern Australia: a guide to identification. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 541–542. ISBN 0-643-06906-2.
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