Portunus sanguinolentus, the three-spot swimming crab, blood-spotted swimming crab or red-spotted swimming crab,[1] is a large crab found throughout estuaries of the Indian and West Pacific Oceanic countries.
| Portunus sanguinolentus | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Portunidae |
| Genus: | Portunus |
| Species: | P. sanguinolentus |
| Binomial name | |
| Portunus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Distribution
editPortunus sanguinolentus is a cosmopolitan species widely distributed across all major waters of the Indo-Pacific; it is found throughout the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka, the Andaman Islands, Myanmar, the Malay Peninsula, Thailand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Java, Australia, and Hawaii.[2]
Subspecies
editTwo subspecies are recognized:[3]
- Portunus (Portunus) sanguinolentus hawaiiensis Stephenson, 1968
- Portunus (Portunus) sanguinolentus sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783)
Description
editPortunus sanguinolentus is a large crab with a maximum length of 15–20 cm (5.9–7.9 in). Its greyish green carapace is very broad and characterized by 3 red spots in posterior half. A strong spine can be seen on each side. Its swimming legs are flattened and its claws are long.[4]
Ecology
editPrimarily a carnivore, found in marine waters and intertidal zone by juveniles. Inhabits sandy to muddy substrates. It is a harmless crab, but being pinched by its claws can be painful.[original research?]
Commercially harvested as an edible crab species in many countries.[5]
References
edit- ↑ "Common names of Portunus sanguinolentus". Sea Life Base. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ↑ "Blood-spotted swimming crab (Portunus sanguinolentus)". marine species identification portal. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ↑ "Portunus (Portunus) sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783)". WoRMS. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ↑ "Description of Portunus (Portunus) sanguinolentus (Herbst, 1783)". The Atlas of Living Australia. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ↑ "three-spot swimming crab". Sea Life Base. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
External links
edit
Media related to Portunus sanguinolentus at Wikimedia Commons
