crabs

Hemigrapsus crenulatus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837)
Class Malacostraca Order Decapoda Infraorder Brachyura Family Varunidae
classification
hairy-handed crab
morphology surface substrate habitat
1.5 cm
image: Shane Ahyong
Carapace polished, flattened, squarish with two teeth on either side. Front of carapace straight
edged between eye stalks. Inner surface of chelipeds in males with dense mat of setae. Legs flattened
and hairy along margins. Carapace greeny-yellow with white patches, covered with purple or
reddish brown spots (or may be more purplish with white spots). Eyestalks white. Dorsal surface of
chelipeds dark brown/purple, fingers white with dark brown tips and fringed with short fine setae.
Widespread around New Zealand, including Stewart Island. Also southern Chile. Occurs in wide
variety of habitats including under stones, buried in sand, mud or clay, in sheltered marine and
estuarine environments. Often in similar habitats as Austrohelice crassa and Hemiplax hirtipes. Midtide
level down to 10 m.
It could also be……….
Hemigrapsus sexdentatus
Cyclograpsus lavauxi
McLay, C. (1988) Crabs of New Zealand. Leigh Laboratory Bulletin 22.
Yaldwyn, J.C., Webber, R.W. (2011) Annotated checklist of New Zealand Decapoda (Arthropoda: Crustacea). Tuhinga 22: 171-272.
49