(H. Milne Edwards, 1834)
The carapace behind the orbits is suborbicular and the upper surface not very convex and thickly covered with granules, among which are scattered sharp tubercles. The true rostrum moderately prominent; the pseudorostral spines are parallel or slightly incurved at tip, having a large accessory spine near the base on the outer border. The intercalated spine triangular; the postocular spine prominent, having a large accessory spine on the superior border. Behind the postocular tooth, the antero-lateral border has six equidistant marginal spines, one of which belongs to the hepatic region, the others to the branchial region and the two posterior are smaller, the last being deviated on the dorsal surface.
Subhepatic and epimeral regions are scattered with sharp spinules and the pterygostomial region with coarse granules. The basal segment of antenna is armed with two terminal spines, both being visible in dorsal view on either side of the pseudorostral spines. The infraorbital tooth is small but acuminate.
The arm and wrist of chelipeds are covered with sharp prominent spines, the palm is smooth and unarmed excepting one or two spinules near the base of the upper border; the fingers of male gape widely and their tips are hollowed; the movable finger has a larger tooth near the base. The ambulatory legs are densely covered with tomentum, the merus has a small terminal tooth on the upper border. Abdomen of both sexes consists of seven distinct segments. (Sakai, 1938: 306)
Type locality: unknown
Range: Red Sea - Elat and Dahlak Archipelago (Griffin & Tranter, 1974), Abulat (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Mozambique - Delagoa Bay (Barnard, 1950); South Africa - Durban (Stebbing, 1910); Seychelles - Amirante Islands and Seychelles Islands (Rathbun, 1911), Amirante Islands (Griffin, 1974); Madagascar - Antseranana (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Mauritius (Bouvier, 1915b, Ward, 1942b, Michel, 1964, Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Chagos Archipelago - Salomon Islands (Rathbun, 1911); Pakistan - Karachi (Tirmizi & Kazmi, 1991); India - from Mergui and Tavoy to Karachi (Alcock, 1895a), Bombay (Chhapgar, 1957); Sri Lanka - Pearl Banks (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); north-east of Bay of Bengal (Griffin, 1974); Mergui Archipelago (Chopra & Das, 1937); Malaysia - Pinang (Lanchester, 1902); Christmas Island (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Japan - (de Haan, 1839), Amami-Oshima (Stimpson, 1907), Shimoda (Sakai, 1935), Sagami Bay, Izu Peninsula, Kii Peninsula, Tosa Bay and Nagasaki (Sakai, 1938a), Hachijo-jima (Sakai, 1954), Sagami Bay (Sakai, 1965b), Sagami Bay, Izu Peninsula, Shima Peninsula, Kii Peninsula, Tosa Bay, Nagasaki, Yoron and Ishigaki-jima (Sakai, 1976a), Kushimoto (Miyake, 1983), Misaki, Manazuru, Toba, Wagu, Kii Nagashima, Kii Minabe, Tosashimizu, Amami-Oshima, Okinoerabu-jima, Yoron-jima, and Ishigaki-jima (Muraoka, 1998); Taiwan - Su-ao (Miyake, 1938, Lin, 1949); China - Guangdong and Paracel Island (Dai et al., 1978), Paracel Island (Chen H, 1980b), Guangdong, including Paracel Islands (Dai & Yang, 1991); Singapore (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Philippines - Balabac Passage (Dana, 1852), Puerto Galero, Mindoro (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Sulu Archipelago - off Jolo (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Palau; Indonesia - Ambon (de Man, 1887d), Java, Selat Sape, Borneo Bank, Pulu Kaniungan Ketjil, Waigeo Island, Seram, Sula Besi, Ambon, Seram, Buton Strait, Roti, Banda Reef, Savu Sea, Teluk Pajahi, between Laluin and Kajoa Island, Kepulauan Aru, and Manokwari, Irian Jaya (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Papua New Guinea - Port Moresby (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Torres Strait (Miers, 1886); Australia - Cape Jaubert (Rathbun, 1924c), Waroona, W.A. (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a), Keppel Islands and Heron Island, Queensland (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); New Caledonia; Vanuatu (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Marshall Islands; Kiribati; Tuvalu; Fiji (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Samoa; Tonga (Griffin & Tranter, 1986a); Hawaiian Islands; 0-40 m.