FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

1088 Crabs
Lauridromia indica (Gray, 1831)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: Dromia orientalis Miers, 1880; Dromidiopsis cranioides
(De Man, 1888) / None.
FAO name: En - Cannonball sponge crab.
Diagnostic characters: Carapace rounded,
much wider than long; surfaces convex, with
dense pubescence; 6 anterolateral teeth.
Spine present on outer margin of dactylus of
last walking leg. Colour: light brown with
bright pink fingers.
Size: Maximum carapace width 8 cm (males)
and 7 cm (females).
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: In muddy
substrates from depths of 10 to 60 m. A relatively
common species, caught incidentally
by trawlers and benthic nets in various parts
of Southeast Asia, sometimes in very large
numbers. No targeted fisheries are known for
this species, which has a minor commercial
value due to the poor quality of its flesh.
Distribution: Thailand, Malaysia,
Singapore, northern
Borneo, and southern Philippines.
Remarks: Only 3 species of
this Indo-West Pacific genus
are known. Lauridromia indica
can easily be distinguished
from other species of
the genus by its proportionately
wider carapace with
relatively soft pubescence
and by having 6 teeth on each
anterolateral margin.
Lauridromia dehaani (Rathbun, 1923)
En - Japanese sponge crab.
Maximum carapace width 10 cm (males) and 8 cm (females). On mud or sandy-muddy substrates
from depths of 50 to 150 m. Locally consumed by some rural communities, rarely sold in markets.
Japan, Taiwan Province of China, China, Hong Kong, Java, India, and Gulf of Aden.