Parthenope pelagicus

(Rüppell, 1830)

Carapace including rostrum a little broader than long; the regions not pronouncedly convex as in Parthenope contrarius; covered with depressed, smooth tubercles but with no spines. The rostrum very broad and short, declivous, outer margins divided into two or three lobes; anterior angle of the supraocular eave indistinctly dentate and is separated from the rostrum; the upper orbital sinus V-shaped; the postocular lobe broad and indistinctly trilobate, behind which the usual postocular constriction is distinct but the neck very short.
The hepatic region armed with three rounded teeth, the branchial margin with about six similar teeth; these teeth are furnished with several silky hairs. Near the middle of the postero-lateral border is a large concial tubercle; between this and the last branchial tooth are three or four small tubercles. The posterior border is lined with a few low tubercles.
The chelipeds of male are about three times the length of the carapace, those of female, however, are only 2.5 times. The anterior margin of arm and palm is evenly and bluntly dentate, their posterior margin also evenly but much more indistinctly dentate, their lower margin being faintly beaded with granules. The ambulatory legs are smooth and rather stout. The sixth segment of male abdomen bears a spinule in the median line near base. (Sakai, 1938: 335)

Type locality: unknown.
Range: Zanzibar; Red Sea - Jiddah (Flipse, 1931); Seychelles; Sri Lanka; Andaman Islands (Alcock, 1895a); Malacca; Japan - Kagoshima and Amami-shoto (Sakai, 1976a); Korea - Korea Strait (Sakai, 1938a), Cheju-do (Kamita, 1941); Taiwan; Singapore (Nobili, 1903c); Philippines; Palau (Takeda, 1973d, Takeda & Hayashi, 1973); Indonesia - Bima Strait (Flipse, 1930), Poeloe Weh, Batjan, and Banda Neira (Flipse, 1931); Torres Strait (Miers, 1886); New Caledonia (A. Milne Edwards, 1872, Flipse, 1931); Samoa.

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