(Linnaeus, 1758)
Carapace transversely oval, naked, nearly two-thirds as long as broad. Surface covered with flat confluent tubercles, regions well defined. Front prominent, cut into 4 lobes. Orbit small, inner angle bluntly dentiform. Antero-lateral margin crested, divided into 4 lobes: the third the broadest, the last the most prominent and dentiform. Antennal basal segment short. Orbital hiatus left open.
Chelipeds symmetrical, covered with flat confluent tubercles. Carpus with a produced lobe. Palm crested on dorsal margin. Fingers stout, with stout teeth on the inner margin, tip slightly hollow. Ambulatory legs also covered with flat confluent tubercles, on the anterior margin every joint crested except the dactylus; dactylus short and stout, densely setose.
First pleopod of the male elongate and slender, slightly curved laterally; distal portion tapered off to a tip, armed with long bristles. Male abdomen narrow and elongate; third to fifth segments fused, sutures recognizable; the sixth segment square; terminal segment obtusely triangular. Female abdomen oblong, 2 longitudinal grooves situated on the median surface of the second to sixth segments, the grooves haired; the terminal segment triangular. Carapace length of the male 60 mm, breadth 90 mm; of the female, length 43.2 mm, breadth 63.2 mm. (Dai & Yang, 1991)
Type locality: India.
Range: Red Sea (Paulson, 1875, Nobili, 1906, Klunzinger, 1913), Abulat (Guinot, 1964b); Tanzania - Dar es Salaam (Ortmann, 1894b); South Africa - Durban (Stebbing, 1917b), Umhlali, Natal, St. Lucia Bay, and Port St. Jones (Barnard, 1950); Ile Europa (Lenz, 1910); Madagascar - Tuléar (Lenz, 1910), Nosy Iranja (Serène, 1984); Iles Glorieuses (Serène, 1984); Coëtivy Islands (Rathbun, 1911); Réunion (Hoffmann, 1874); Mauritius (Hoffmann, 1874, Bouvier, 1915b, Michel, 1964); Chagos Archipelago (Rathbun, 1911); Laccadive Islands (Alcock, 1898); Andaman Islands (Alcock, 1898); Japan - Okinawa (Stimpson, 1907), Northern Daito-jima (Sakai, 1939), Hachijo-jima (Sakai, 1954), Yoron-jima, Northern Daito-jima, Ishigaki-jima, and Ogasawara-shoto (Sakai, 1976a), Ishigaki-jima (Miyake, 1983), Ginowan, Okinawa (Shokita et al., 2000); Taiwan - Tainan (Sakai, 1939), Tainan and Lan-Yü (Lin, 1949); China - Paracel Island (Chen & Lan, 1978), Hainan Island and Paracel Islands (Dai & Yang, 1991); Indonesia - Edam Island (de Man, 1887d); Australia; Fiji (Miers, 1886); Samoa (Dana, 1852); Hawaiian Islands - Oahu (Rathbun, 1906); Tahiti (Stimpson, 1907, Forest & Guinot, 1961); Tuamotu Archipelago - (Dana, 1852), Hikueru (Forest & Guinot, 1961); shallow waters.