FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes Western

Majidae 1137
Schizophrys aspera (H. Milne Edwards, 1834)
Frequent synonyms / misidentifications: None / None.
FAO name: En - Common decorator crab.
Diagnostic characters: Carapace pear-shaped,
with 2 pronounced rostral horns. Colour: brown
overall.
Size: Maximum carapace width 6 cm.
Habitat, biology, and fisheries: Found on rocks,
especially near reefs, from intertidal areas to a
depth of 40 m. Usually caught incidentally by
hand, sometimes in crab pots. Only of local commercial
importance.
Distribution: Indo-West Pacific, eastwards to
Hawaii.
Remarks: Schizophrys aspera can be confused
with S. dama, which is easily distinguished by the
2 accessory spines near the base of each rostral
horns (only 1 spine in S. aspera).
Schizophrys dama (Herbst, 1804)
(from Alcock and Anderson, 1899)
En - Pronghorn decorator crab.
Maximum carapace width 6 cm. A subtidal coral reef species, occasionally invades rocky and sandy
areas. Collected incidentally by hand or with nets, but nowhere commercially important. Southeast
Asia to New Guinea and Australia.
(from Alcock and Anderson, 1899)