Thalamita crenata

The mangrove swimming crab (Thalamita crenata), also called the crenate swimming crab or spiny rock crab,[2] is a swimming crab species in the genus Thalamita.[3] Distributed all over marine and brackish waters of Indo-West Pacific regions. It is widely used as an edible crab in many countries.

Mangrove swimming crab
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Infraorder:
Brachyura
Family:
Portunidae
Genus:
Thalamita
Species:
T. crenata
Binomial name
Thalamita crenata
Rüppell, 1830
Synonyms
  • Thalamita kotoensis Tien, 1969[1]

Distribution

A mangrove inhabitant, it is found all over southern Red Sea, Somalia, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Andaman Islands, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia.[4]

Description

Carapace round with five antero-lateral teeth. Carapace with 3 pairs of gastric ridges which is perfectly smooth. Male has long and thin first pleopod, which gradually tapering to tip.[5]

Ecology

The species usually forage at night feeds on many bivalves and slow-moving crustaceans. It is found in intertidal areas of mangrove swamps,[6] consisting of Rhizophora mucronata zone and mangrove forests.

The crab is known to uses landmarks to locate its refuges using direct shortcut paths.[7]

References
  1. "Thalamita crenata Rüppell, 1830". World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  2. "Fishery Biology of Spiny Rock Crab (Thalamita crenata Latreille, 1829) in Sikao Bay, Trang Province, Thailand" (PDF). Department of Fisheries Technology, Faculty of Science and Fisheries Technology, Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya, Trang Campus. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  3. "Tree climbing crab". Wild Singapore. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  4. "Mangrove swimming crab (Thalamita crenata)". Crabs of Japan. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  5. "Thalamita crenata H. Milne Edwards, 1861". A field guide to Kenyan mangroves. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  6. Cannicci, Stefano; Dahdouh-Guebas, Farid; Anyona, Dyane & Vannini, Marco (1996). "Natural Diet and Feeding Habits of Thalamita crenata (Decapoda: Portunidae)". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 16 (4): 678–683. doi:10.1163/193724096x00766. JSTOR 1549188.
  7. Cannicci, S; Barelli, C; Vannini, M (2000). "Homing in the swimming crab Thalamita crenata: a mechanism based on underwater landmark memory". Animal Behaviour. 60 (2): 203–210. doi:10.1006/anbe.2000.1458. PMID 10973722.
  • Vezzosi, Roberto; Barbaresi, Silvia; Anyona, Diana; Vannini, Marco (1994). "Activity patterns in Thalamita crenata Portunidae, decapoda): A shaping by the tidal cycles". Marine Behaviour and Physiology. 24 (4): 207. doi:10.1080/10236249509378895.


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