(Rüppell, 1830)
The dorsal surface of the carapace is entirely or partly granular, glabrous or covered with short or long setae. The superior margin of the cheliped palm has a smooth or granular crest, or at least a row of granules well defined, occupying the whole length of the margin or only on the proximal part. The antero-lateral margins of the carapace are formed of four lobes more or less emarginated and separated by fissures. The crest or row of granules on the superior margin of the palm extends along the entire length. The dorsal and ventral surfaces of the carapace are without a covering of short setae. The crest on the superior margin of the cheliped palm is composed of a row of granules more or less compacted one against the other. 2M is divided throughout its length. The carapace has the regions separated by broad, deep furrows. The pearliform granules on the dorsal surface of the carapace are larger than those of cristata except on the posterior part where they are reduced; 3M has about 30 granules on the broadest part and 8-10 on the elongated anterior part. 6L is hardly separated from 5L. (Serène, 1984)
Type locality: Mits'iwa, Red Sea.
Range: Red Sea - Mits'iwa (Rüppell, 1830), Suez (Nobili, 1906); Gulf of Aden - Djibouti and Obock (Nobili, 1906), Obock (Serène, 1984); Zanzibar (Lenz, 1905); Mozambique; Madagascar - Nosy Bé (Serène, 1984); Réunion (Serène, 1984); India; Japan - Yaeyama (Parisi, 1916), Amami-shoto and Yaeyama-retto (Sakai, 1976a), Ishigaki-jima (Miyake, 1983), Kakeroma-jima near Amami-Oshima (Takeda, 1989); Taiwan (Lin, 1949); China - Paracel Islands (Dai & Yang, 1991); Singapore; Philippines (Parisi, 1916); Sulu Sea (Dana, 1852); Indonesia - Noordwachter Island (de Man, 1887d), Ambon and Ternate; Torres Strait; Australia; New Caledonia - Poum (Takeda & Nunomura, 1976); Fiji (Dana, 1852); Samoa; Hawaii - Honolulu (Miers, 1886); Tahiti.