FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

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Eriphiidae 1103
Eriphiidae ERIPHIIDAE
(= Menippidae, Oziidae)
Eriphiid stone and mud crabs
Diagnostic characters: Carapace hexagonal,
transversely rectangular to transversely
ovate; dorsal surfaces ridged or granulose;
frontal margin notched medially; 4 teeth
and/or lobes on each anterolateral margin. Legs
normal. Longitudinal ridges which define efferent
respiratory current well developed along entire
endostome, ridges visible on anterior part of endostome
when mouthparts pushed aside. All male
abdominal segments distinct, movable. Male
first gonopod stout, almost straight or gently
curved; male second gonopod elongate, longer
or subequal in length to male first gonopod.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: 1/ Benthic crabs.
Most eriphiids are only of minor importance to
fisheries. The more commonly collected species in
the area are Myomenippe hardwickii, Menippe
rumphii, andHypothalassia armata.
Similar families occurring in the area
The Eriphiidae can easily be confused with the Xanthidae (likewise called “stone and mud crabs”) and
Carpiliidae. These 3 groups were previously classified together in the Xanthidae.
Xanthidae: adult males can be distinguished from eriphiids by having abdominal segments 3 to 5 fused
and immovable (versus all segments freely movable), the male first gonopods slender and sinuous (rather
than stout, cylindrical), and the male second gonopods very short (rather than very elongate, longer than
first gonopod).
Carpiliidae: can only be effectively distinguished from eriphiids by having male abdominal segments 3 to
5 immovable, completely fused, and the sutures not discernible (versus all male abdominal segments freely
movable, sutures clearly visible).
male abdominal
segments 3-5 fused,
immovable
Xanthidae male abdominal
segments 3-5 fused,
immovable
Carpillidae
anterolateral
margin with a
single tooth
1/ The most important commercial species of this family is probably the Australian “Tasmanian giant crab”, also known
as the “queen crab”, Pseudocarcinus gigas (Lamarck, 1818), which occurs just outside the boundaries of the Western
Central Pacific. It grows up to 40 cm in carapace width, at a maximum weight in excess of 12 kg. Over 50 t of these
giant crabs are caught annually in Australia, where it commands prices of US$6 per kg, but it is even more expensive
when exported.