(Shaw & Nodder, 1803)
Carapace ovate, regions well defined. Frontal, hepatic and branchial regions with sparse beaded granules and scale-shaped processes. Frontal margin beaded, with wart-like granules, divided into 2 lobes; a transverse ridge just behind the anterior margin; surface with a median longitudinal groove extending backwards. Orbit circular with 2-3 obtuse spines at either the inner or the outer angle. Behind the orbit the upper hepatic region with 2 oblique fine grooves. Antero-lateral margin armed with 5-6 spines, gradually decreasing in size from front to rear. Antennal basal segment completely shut out from orbit, and orbital hiatus completely closed.
Chelipeds smooth and quite asymmetrical. Merus denticulate in distal portion of the dorsal margin and basal portion of the ventral margin, granulated in distal portion of the outer surface. Carpus bearing 2 obtuse teeth at the inner-distal angle. Palm with pits on the dorsal and outer surface. Fingers shorter than the palm, and with obtuse teeth along cutting edges in the major chela; the teeth on the minor chela indistinct. Ambulatory legs stout, hairy; especially on propodus and dactylus.
First pleopod of the male with distal portion curved laterally, apex tapering and armed with short spines on the inner-ventral side near the subtip. Male abdomen narrow and long, 7-segmented; telson obtusely triangular. Female abdomen oblong. Carapace length of the male 39.2-57 mm, breadth 51.8-76 mm; of the female, length 36.2 mm, breadth 46.3 mm. (Dai & Yang, 1991)
Type locality: unknown.
Range: Red Sea (Klunzinger, 1913); South Africa - Natal (Barnard, 1950); Zanzibar (Lenz, 1905); Madagascar - Iles Glorieuses, Baie du Courrier, Nosy Bé, Fort-Dauphin; Réunion (A. Milne Edwards, 1862); Mauritius (Bouvier, 1915b, Michel, 1964); Seychelles - Aldabra Island (Guinot, 1964b); Chagos Archipelago - Salomon, Peros Coin, Egmont (Rathbun, 1911); Laccadive Islands (Alcock, 1898); Sri Lanka (Alcock, 1898); Burma - Arakan coast (Alcock, 1898); Andaman Islands (Alcock, 1898); Mergui Archipelago (Alcock, 1898); Japan - Okinawa and Kikaishima (Stimpson, 1907), Ishigaki-jima (Parisi, 1916), Okinawa and Northern Daito-jima (Sakai, 1939), Hachijo-jima (Sakai, 1954), Yoron, Ishigaki, Taketomi-jima and Northern Daito-jima (Sakai, 1976a), Ishigaki-jima (Miyake, 1983), Okinoerabu-jima (Muraoka, 1998); Taiwan - Chi-lung and P'eng-hu (Lin, 1949); China - Paracel Island (Chen & Lan, 1978), Guangdong and Paracel Islands (Dai & Yang, 1991); Indonesia - Noordwachter Island (de Man, 1888d); Papua New Guinea - Nissan Island (Sendler, 1923); Palau (Sendler, 1923, Sakai, 1939, Takeda & Hayashi, 1973); Vanuatu - Torres Islands (Takeda & Nunomura, 1976); New Caledonia - Moneo (Takeda & Nunomura, 1976); Fiji (Dana, 1852); Samoa (Dana, 1852, Alcock, 1898, Parisi, 1916); Hawaii - Oahu (Rathbun, 1906); Line Islands - Palmyra and Tabuaeran (Edmondson, 1923); Society Islands (Dana, 1852); Tuamotu Archipelago - (Dana, 1852), Makatea (Sendler, 1923).