Portunus pelagicus
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| Portunus pelagicus Linnaeus, 1758 |
Portunus pelagicus, also known as the flower crab, blue swimming crab or sand crab, is a large crab found in the intertidal estuaries of the Indian and Pacific Oceans (Asian coasts) and the Middle-Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The name "flower crab" is used in east Asian countries while the latter names are used in Australia. The crabs are widely distributed in eastern Africa, south-east Asia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The males are bright blue in colour with white spots while the females are a duller green/brown. The males have longer pincers. The females have a rounder carapace. The carapace can be up to 20 cm in width.
They stay buried under sand or mud most of the time. They come out to feed during high tide. They are fully marine crabs and are excellent swimmers. They do not survive long out of the water.
The species is important commercially. The species is highly prized as the meat is almost as sweet as blue crab, but the species is physically much larger.
