(A. Milne Edwards, 1865)
The front is not noticeably projecting. The carapace, chelipeds, sternal plastron and abdomen are smooth or granular or stippled but never sponge-like as in species of the subgenus Actites. The ambulatory legs are never with cristiform carinae on their anterior and posterior margins; they are smooth or granular and sometimes nodular. The ambulatory legs are shorter and more squarish; the merus of P4 is less than three times longer than broad. In adult males the extremity of the cheliped merus does not extend (or hardly) beyond the margin of the carapace. The first pleopod of the male is of a diverse shape but never terminates as a short rounded lobe; it is always furnished with more or less numerous setae, usually arranged in a row on one margin of the preapical part. The carapace, chelipeds and ambulatory legs have the surface irregularly or regularly granular, sometimes also punctate but always with a rugose aspect; the regions of the carapace are usually well indicated; 2M is always longitudinally divided, at least partially and very often entirely. On the dorsal surface of the carapace the region 2M is incompletely divided longitudinally and is U-shaped. The ambulatory legs are shorter and broader; the merus of P5 is less than 3 times longer than broad. The surface of the carapace is covered with small or very small granules giving it a slightly rugose aspect to the unaided eye. The granules on the surface of the carapace are very small; they are invisible on the posterior third. The regions 1L+2L+3L, 4L+5L, 1R+2R from transverse elevations separated by large furrows extending as far as the margins of the carapace. The adult males are orange-red colour. (Serène, 1984)
Type locality: New Caledonia.
Range: Madagascar - Fort Dauphin (Serène, 1984); Seychelles - Amirante Islands and Coëtivy Islands (Rathbun, 1911), Aldabra Islands (Guinot, 1964b); Maldives - Goidu (Borradaile, 1902b); Chagos Archipelago (Ward, 1942b); Cocos Islands (Tweedie, 1950b); Japan - Shiono-misaki and Kii Minabe (Sakai, 1976a), Yaeyama-retto; South China Sea - Macclesfield Bank (Odhner, 1925), Paracel Islands (Dai & Yang, 1991); Vietnam - Nha Trang (Serène & Luom, 1960); Palau (Takeda, 1976a); Indonesia - Ambon (de Man, 1887d), Ternate (de Man, 1902a), Salawati (Odhner, 1925); Palau (Odhner, 1925); Solomon Islands - Bougainville (Odhner, 1925); New Caledonia (A. Milne Edwards, 1865); Kiribati - Aranuka (Odhner, 1925); shallow waters.