Charybdis hellerii

(A. Milne Edwards, 1867)

Carapace pubescent, with transverse granular lines on frontal, protogastric and mesogastric regions, epibranchial line interrupted only at the cervical groove; front with 6 subequal triangular distally rounded teeth; antero-lateral borders with 6 teeth, first and second smaller than the following ones and subequal, last one slightly more prominent than preceeding teeth; postero-lateral junctions rounded. Antennal flagellum excluded from orbit. Cheliped merus with 3 spines on anterior border, posterior border smooth; carpus with a strong internal spine, outer border with 3 spines; palm with 4 spines on upper border. Merus and carpus of swimming leg each with a posterior spine, propodus with 6-12 denticles on posterior border. (Türkay 1995)

Antennal flagellum excluded from orbital hiatus; posterior border of cephalothorax curved, forming curved postero-lateral junction; 6 antero-lateral teeth, first antero-lateral tooth not truncate, second antero-lateral tooth about as large as first; no distinct cardiac ridges on carapace; carpus of fifth leg with spine. (Davie 1999)

Type locality: New Caledonia.
Range: Florida; Colombia - Bahia de Portete (Apel & Spiridonov, 1998); Brazil - Rio de Janeiro (Tavares & de Mendonça, 1996); eastern Mediterranean - (Steinitz, 1933, probably arrived via the Suez Canal as a Lessepsian migrant); Red Sea (Apel & Spiridonov, 1998); Gulf of Aden - Obock (Nobili, 1906); Mozambique - Delagoa Bay (Barnard, 1950), Morrumbene Estuary (Apel & Spiridonov, 1998); South Africa - Natal (Barnard, 1950)); Ile Europa (Crosnier, 1962); Mayotte (Crosnier, 1962); Madagascar - Mahajanga (Lenz, 1905), Mitsio, Mahajanga, Tôlanaro, and Toamasina (Crosnier, 1962); Persian Gulf - (Alcock, 1899a, Apel & Spiridonov, 1998), Bushire (Stephensen, 1945); Strait of Hormuz (Stephensen, 1945, Apel & Spiridonov, 1998); Gulf of Oman (Apel & Spiridonov, 1998); Pakistan - Karachi (Alcock, 1899a, Apel & Spiridonov, 1998); India; Sri Lanka; Andaman Islands (Alcock, 1899a); Burma - Maungmagan near Tavoy (Chopra & Das, 1937), Mergui Archipelago (de Man, 1887c, Alcock, 1899a, Apel & Spiridonov, 1998); West Malay Peninsula - Thailand (Stephenson, 1972a); Japan - Chinen Peninsula, Okinawa-jima (Sakai, 1976a), Kagoshima Bay and Tanegashima (Urita, 1926a), Naha, Okinawa (Minei, 1971); Taiwan - north of Taiwan and Taiwan Strait (Stephenson, 1972a), Kaohsiung Province, Chi-lung, and I-lan Province (Huang & Yu, 1997); China - Hong Kong (Alcock, 1899a, Apel & Spiridonov, 1998), Liuwutien, Tsimei, and Xiamen (Shen, 1940b), Guangxi, Guangdong, and Fujian (Dai & Yang, 1991); Malaysia; Singapore (Alcock, 1899a, Nobili, 1903c, Shen, 1937); Philippines - Manila Bay (Moosa, 1981), Cebu (Stephenson, 1972a, Apel & Spiridonov, 1998), Panay Island and Lingayen Gulf (Stephenson, 1976); Indonesia - Laboean Badjo, west of Salawati, east of Sumatra, and Java Sea (Leene, 1938), Java Sea and sunda Strait (Stephenson, 1972a), Koeroendo Island (Stephenson, 1975); Australia - Cape Bossut and Ninety Mile Beach, N.W.A., Darwin, Sir Edward Pellew Group, N.T., Endeavour R. to Burleigh, Queensland (Stephenson et al., 1957), Moreton Bay (Campbell & Stephenson, 1970); New Caledonia (A. Milne Edwards, 1867); Hawaii (Edmondson, 1954, probably brought by ships).

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