(Herbst, 1785)
Carapace convex laterally and posteriorly, more flattened medially and anteriorly. Surface covered by pubescence, which becomes confined to granular areas in large specimens. Posterior branchial surface laterally with a smooth area. Front consisting of two distinct triangular or blunter teeth. Outer orbital tooth sharp; inner orbital angle triangular or blunt. Chela with very long fingers, directed obliquely downwards. P2-P3 slender; dactyli broadest in proximal half, narrowing anteriorly, usually shorter than propodus. Adult males with dense pubescence on posterior margin of merus, carpus and propodus of P2 and P3. Carrying behaviour with sea anemones. (Guinot 1998)
Type locality: Tranquebar, south-eastern India.
Range: Indian Ocean - (Herbst, 1785, Fabricius, 1798, Zimsen, 1964, Bosc, 1802, Desmarest, 1830, White, 1847f, Ortmann, 1892); Pakistan - Karachi (Tirmizi & Kazmi, 1991); India - (Milne Edwards H., 1837), south coast of India (Henderson, 1893), shores of Bay of Bengal (Alcock, 1896), Tuticorin (Henderson, 1893, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Pudumadam (Sankarankutty, 1966), Rameswaram (Henderson, 1893), Tranquebar (Herbst, 1896, Fabricius, 1798, de Haan, 1841, Herklots, 1861, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Madras (Henderson, 1893, Alcock, 1896, Gravely, 1941, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Deve River (Parenti et al., 1971), mouth of Hooghly River (Chopra, 1933), Porto Novo (Tirmizi & Kazmi, 1991), Pondicherry, and off delta of Ganges River (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Sri Lanka - (Yang C.M., 1979), Pearl banks, Gulf of Mannar (Laurie, 1906, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Andaman Islands (Alcock, 1896); Andaman Sea - off Burma (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Mergui Archipelago (de Man, 1887b, 1888, Alcock, 1896, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Malaysia - Patani (Lanchester, 1902), Pinang (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Sumatra - Banda Aceh (de Man, 1896b), Lhokseumawe (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); China - (White, 1847f, Chen, 1986), Ningbo, Zhejiang (Gee, 1925), Fujian Province (Shen, 1931), Jimei, Fuzhou, and Shaotsun (Shen, 1940b), Fuzhou (Gee, 1925, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Guangdong Province (Shen, 1931), Nan'ao Island and Taiwan Strait (Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Hong Kong (Stimpson, 1855, 1858, Verrill, 1869, Miers, 1886, Stebbing, 1893, Shen, 1931, 1940, Morton & Morton, 1983, Tirmizi & Kazmi, 1991, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Vietnam - Gulf of Tonkin (André, 1931, Dai & Son, 1986, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Nha Trang (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Thailand - (Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969, Yang C.M., 1979), Gulf of Thailand (Naiyanetr, 1980), Laem Ngop, Koh Kahdat and Koh Chang (Rathbun, 1910a, Suvatti, 1938, 1950, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Songkhla Channel and Bay of Bangkok (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Malaysia - Melaka (Lanchester, 1900, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Pulau Pisang (Yang C.M., 1979), Johore (Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Pahang (Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969, Yang C.M., 1979), Borneo (Miers, 1880b), Sarawak (Shelford, 1916, Hose, 1929); Singapore (?Dana, 1852, Walker, 1887, Lanchester, 1900, Nobili, 1903, Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969, Parenti et al., 1971, Tan & Ng, 1988, Yang C.M., 1979, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Indonesia - western Sulawesi (de Man, 1896b), Sunda Strait, Cirebon, Surabaya, Java Sea and west cost of Sulawesi (Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Makassar Strait (Chen, 1993); 2-80 m.