(Fabricius, 1793)
Carapace strongly sculptured; tubercles usually well indicated, sometimes low. Surface covered by long, flexible hairs, worn off in old individuals. Two lateral tubercles on cardiac area. Antero-lateral margin of carapace, between base of exorbital tooth and cervical groove, with few to many, 3-9, sharp denticles. Front teeth flat, with narrowly rounded apices, separated by a deep but open V. Lower orbital margin with row of 4-7 spines but without additional row of denticles. Carpus of cheliped with distinct spinules and hairs on upper surface; palm of chela smooth, except for granules in extreme proximal part. P2-P3: merus compressed, distinctly higher than wide, covered with pubescence; merus of P3 less than six times as long as high. (Guinot 1998)
Type locality: Tranquebar, India, 11°02'N, 79°51'E.
Range: Red Sea - (Henderson, 1893, Vine, 1986), Suez Canal (Monod, 1937, Holthuis, 1956), Gulf of Suez, Sudanese, Harkiko Bay and Hawakil Bay (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Gulf of Aden - Obock (Nobili, 1906, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Barim Island (Zarenkov, 1971); Zanzibar (A. Milne Edwards, 1868a, Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Mozambique - (Barnard, 1926, 1950, Kensley, 1981b), Maputo Bay (Barnard, 1950), Inhaca Island (Macnae & Kalk, 1958, 1969), Ibo (Hilgendorf, 1879), Morrumbene estuary and Costa do Sol, Maputo (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Madagascar - Mitsio, Nosy Bé, Ambaro Bay, Nosy Komba and Narendry Bay (Chen H., 1988), Tuléar (Lenz, 1910, Thomassin, 1974, 1978), Soalara (Fourmanoir, 1954), Ambaro Bay, Nosy Bé and Passe de Nosy Komba (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Cargados Carajos (Rathbun, 1911, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Seychelles - Mahé (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Gulf of Oman (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Strait of Hormuz (Stephensen, 1945, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Persian Gulf (Alcock, 1896, Stephensen, 1945, Basson et al., 1977, Nobili, 1906c, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Pakistan - Karachi (Karim, 1973); India - (White, 1847), Trivandrum (Pillai N.K., 1951), Tranquebar (Fabricius, 1793, 1798, Bosc, 1802, Latreille, 1802, Desmarest, 1823, 1825, Herklots, 1861, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Gulf of Mannar (Henderson, 1893, Sankarankutty, 1966a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Palk Strait (Alcock, 1896, Parenti et al., 1971), Krusadai Island (Gravely, 1927), Madras (Henderson, 1893, Alcock & Anderson, 1894, Gravely, 1941, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Sandheads, mouth of Hooghly River (Chopra, 1933a); Sri Lanka (Miers, 1884a, Henderson, 1893, Laurie, 1906, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Maldives - Haddumati Atoll (Borradaile, 1903a); Andaman Islands (Alcock, 1896); Mergui Archipelago (de Man, 1888d, Alcock, 1896); west coast of Thailand (Naiyanetr, 1980, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Malaysia - Pinang (Lanchester, 1902, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Sumatra - off Uleelheue, Bengkulu and Lampung Bay (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); China - (Miers, 1884a, Shen & Liu, 1963, Chen H., 1986b), Shanghai (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Xiamen (Shen, 1940b), Guangdong (Miers, 1884a, Shen, 1931a); Taiwan - (Balss, 1922b), Chilung (Maki & Tsuchiya, 1923, Lin, 1949), Hsiak'unhsen and Tingch'ieting (Lin, 1949), Kaohsiung (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Hong Kong (Stimpson, 1858, 1907, Gee, 1925, Shen, 1931a, 1940, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Vietnam - (André, 1931, Serène, 1937, 1981, Dawydoff, 1952), Mui Nay, Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau, Con Son, west of Hao Tae Island, Between Hon Rom and Baie Guno and south of Banc de butto (André, 1931), Nha Trang (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Thailand - Gulf of Thailand (Naiyanetr, 1980), Koh Phuket (Lundoer, 1974), mouth of Menam River (Balss, 1922b), Koh Lan, Koh Kram, Koh Mesan, Tung Kaben and Koh Kahdat (Rathbun, 1910a, Suvatti, 1938, 1950, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Bay of Bangkok (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Singapore (Lanchester, 1900b, Nobili, 1903c, Jeffries et al., 1982, Serène & Romimohtarto, 1969, Yang C.M., 1979, Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Philippines - (White, 1847, Miers, 1884a), Manila (Desmarest, 1823, 1825), Puerto Galera, Mindoro (Roxas, 1930, Estampador, 1937, 1959), Cebu (Estampador, 1937, 1939), Mantaquin Bay, Palawan Islands, and Subic Bay (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Indonesia - Sunda Strait (Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Java Sea (de Man, 1896b, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Ujung Pandang (Ihle, 1916, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Labuhangajo, Flores (Ihle, 1916), Timor (Ihle, 1916), Ambon (de Man, 1888d), Arafura Sea (Miers, 1884a), Kepulauan Aru (Ihle, 1916), Kepulauan Kai (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); Australia - (Lamarck, 1818, Desmarest, 1817, 1822, Defrance, 1819), Dampier Archipelago, Maud Landing and Shark Bay (Tyndale-Biscoe & George, 1962), Shark Bay (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Holothuria Banks and Roebuck Bay (Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Torres Strait (White, 1847, Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Thursday Island (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Friday Island (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Flinders (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Dunk Island (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Port Denison (Haswell, 1882c, Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Port Molle (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), Cumberland Island (Miers, 1884a, Holthuis & Manning, 1990), south-east of Double Island Point and Platypus Bay (Rathbun, 1923a), Moreton Bay (Holthuis & Manning, 1990); 1-415 m.