(Herbst, 1801)
The lateral margins of the carapace have a defined epibranchial spine or tooth. The frontal margin is cut into four teeth or lobes more or less projecting; a deep antennal sinus separates the lateral frontal lobe and the internal superior orbital angle. The inferior margin of the cheliped palm is smooth (or sometimes very feebly serrulated in tigrina). The teeth of the front are blunt or lobed; the summits of the submedians reach and generally pass the level of the lateral teeth. The carapace is without regularly distributed spots, specks or lines of colour. The antero-lateral margins of the carapace are convex and diverge backwards between the external orbital angle and the epibranchial tooth. The cheliped palm has the external surface covered with tomentum; the superior margin is subacute in transverse section. The front is projecting and the antennal sinus deep. The external orbital angles and the epibranchial teeth are acute. The merus of the fifth pereiopod is 2.8 times longer than broad. The colouration is uniform orange-red or violet. (Serène, 1984)
Type locality: Red Sea.
Range: Red Sea - (Herbst, 1801, Klunzinger, 1913, Castro, 1999a), Gulf of Suez (Galil & Clark, 1990); Gulf of Aden - (Guinot, 1962a), Aden, Djibouti and Obock (Castro, 1999a); Kenya - Shimoni (Serène, 1984, Castro, 1999a); Zanzibar (Hilgendorf, 1869, Lenz, 1905, Castro, 1999a); Tanzania (Nobili, 1905); Mozambique - Maputo, Inhaca Island and Magaruque (Castro, 1999a); South Africa - (Stebbing, 1910), KwaZulu-Natal (Castro, 1999a); Europa Island (Lenz, 1905); Aldabra Islands (Lenz, 1905, Castro, 1999a); Mayotte (Castro, 1999a); Iles Glorieuses (Castro, 1999a); Madagascar - Nosy Bé, Tuléar and Ste Luce (Serène, 1984), Diégo-Suarez, Nosy Bé, Tuléar and Tamatave (Castro, 1999a); Seychelles - (Doflein, 1904), Amirante, Seychelles, Praslin and Coëtivy (Rathbun, 1911), Mahé and Praslin (Serène, 1984), Mahé, Praslin, Coëtivy, Aride and Poivre Atoll (Castro, 1999a); Saya de Malha Bank (Rathbun, 1911, Castro, 1999a); Cargados Carajos Islands (Rathbun, 1911); Réunion (Castro, 1999a); Mauritius (Bouvier, 1915b, Michel, 1964, Castro, 1999a); Persian Gulf - Kharg (Stephensen, 1945), Juraid Island (Castro, 1999a); Oman - Muscat, Bandar Khayran and Christian Cemetery (Castro, 1999a); Pakistan - Makran coast (Alcock, 1898); India - Laccadive Islands (Sankarankutty, 1961), Palk Strait (Alcock, 1898); Maldives - (Borradaile, 1902b), Rasdu Atoll (Castro, 1999a); Chagos Archipelago (Rathbun, 1911); Sri Lanka - Wiligama Bay (Castro, 1999a); Andaman Islands (Alcock, 1898, Sankarankutty, 1962); Nicobar Islands (Alcock, 1898); Mergui Archipelago (Alcock, 1898, Chopra & Das, 1937); Andaman Sea - Phuket, Thailand (Castro, 1999a); Sumatra - Batu Island (Castro, 1999a), Simeuluë (Castro, 1999b); Cocos Islands (Tweedie, 1950b); Christmas Island (Calman, 1909); Japan - Nanki Shirahama, Oshima near Siono-misaki and Kagoshima Bay (Sakai, 1939), Hachijo-jima (Sakai, 1954), Kii Peninsula, Ashizuri-misaki, Kagoshima, Amami-shoto and Okinawa (Sakai, 1976a), Ishigaki-jima (Miyake, 1983), Oshima Passage, Amami-Oshima (Takeda, 1989); Taiwan - Su-ao and P'eng-hu (Lin, 1949); China - Paracel Island (Chen & Lan, 1978), Hainan Island and Paracel Islands (Dai & Yang, 1991); Philippines - Zamboanga (Miers, 1886); Sulu Archipelago - Sibutu Island (Castro, 1999b); Indonesia - Edam Island and Ambon (de Man, 1888d), Ambon, Kepulauan Riau, Jakarta Bay, Maratua Island, Borneo, Paternoster Island, Komodo, Manado, Talisei Island, Kepulauan Tukangbesi, Supermonde Archipelago, Sumba, Kau Bay, Ternate, Bacan Island, Obilatu, Kupang Bay, Boo Island, Manokwari Bay, Biak and Jayapura, Irian Jaya (Castro, 1999b); Palau (Sakai, 1939, Castro, 1997a); New Britain - Kokopo near Rabaul (Takeda & Nunomura, 1976); Arafura Sea (Castro, 1999b); Australia - Queensland (Haswell, 1882c, Calman, 1900, Grant & McCulloch, 1906), off Rockhampton (Rathbun, 1923a), Low Island, Satellite Reef, Turtle Island, Thomas Cay, Gillet Cay, Swain Reefs. Cook Island, Seaforth Island, Lindeman Island, Mudjimba Island, Lizard Island, Middleton Reef, Elizabeth Reef, Pellortes, Shark Bay, Dampier Archipelago, Kimberley Islands (Castro, 1997a); Chesterfield Islands (Castro, 1997a); Bellona Reefs (Castro, 1997a); New Caledonia (A. Milne Edwards, 1873, Galil & Clark, 1990, Castro, 1997a); Loyalty Islands (Castro, 1997a); Vanuatu - Port Patterson (Castro, 1997a); Fiji (Dana, 1852); Tongatabu (Dana, 1852, Miers, 1886); Line Islands - Palmyra (Edmondson, 1923); Marquesas Islands - Nuku Hiva (Jacquinot & Lucas, 1853); Society Islands - Tahiti (Dana, 1852, Ortmann, 1897a); Tuamotu Archipelago - Takapoto (Castro, 1997b); shallow waters.