Calappa calappa

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Giant box crab
French : Crabe honteux géant

Classification
Class : Malacostraca
Order : Decapoda
Family : Calappidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach 12 cm in length. The carapace is domed and arched, wider than long. Pincers are laterally flattened and display a crest-like row of spines on their top sides. Coloration is orange-beige. Females with brown spots.

Range and habitat
The species lives in the Indo-Pacific area, from coastal east Africa, to north Australia, east to French Polynesia and Hawaii. Lives in coastal lagoons on sandy bottoms, down to 80 meters deep.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NOT LISTED
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has a large range and doesn’t seem to be threatened. It is occasionally caught by fishermen but has no commercial value.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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