Charybdis (genus)

Charybdis is a genus of swimming crabs in the family Portunidae; "Charybdis" is Greek for whirlpool.

Contents 1 Species 1.1 Charybdis affinis 1.2 Charybdis feriata 1.3 Charybdis hellerii 1.4 Charybdis japonica 1.5 Charybdis longicollis 1.6 Charybdis natator 2 References

Species

The genus Charybdis contains the following species:^[1]

Charybdis affinis

Charybdis affinis has a hexagonal, concave carapace with a yellowish-grey colour. This crab is found in the Indian Ocean and in the West Pacific.^[2]

Charybdis feriata

Charybdis feriata is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from Japan, China and Australia to Southern Africa and the Persian Gulf.^[3] It is an edible crab and because of its large size, high quality of meat and relatively soft exoskeleton, it has a high commercial value. Attempts are being made to farm this crab using aquaculture.^[4] In Hong Kong Cantonese it is known as the flowery crab (花蟹).^[5] This name probably arises from its red and white colouring when cooked. This species of crab is also known as Charybdis feriatus and Charybdis cruciata,^[3] and has also been found in the Mediterranean Sea. The specific epithet cruciata refers to the red cross on the carapace of this species. According to legend the Spanish Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier saw this crab in Indonesia. "A Ceram, écrit François-Xavier, un crabe sur la plage me rapporta entre ses pinces mon crucifix qu'une tempête avait arraché à mon cou. Depuis, en cette région, les crabes ont un crucifix imprimé sur leur carapace".^[6]

Charybdis hellerii

Charybdis hellerii is characterised by a hexagonal, concave carapace with a mottled brownish-grey colour. This crab originates from the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea to New Caledonia. However this crab has now also successively invaded the Western Atlantic (Florida to Brazil)^[7] and the Mediterranean Sea.^[8]

Charybdis japonica

Charybdis japonica has a hexagonal, concave carapace around 12 centimetres (4.7 in) wide, the whole animal being pale green to olive green in colour. It occurs naturally in the waters around Japan, Korea and Malaysia, but has become an invasive species in New Zealand.

Charybdis longicollis

Charybdis longicollis is an invasive species from the Red Sea that invaded the Mediterranean Sea fifty years ago.^[9]

Charybdis natator

Charybdis natator is characterised by a brownish upper surface with some white spots among the wafts or bright red granules. On its under surface it is bluish, mottled with white and pale red.^[10] This crab is not a major target for commercial fishing.^[11]

References