Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Cardisoma carnifex

Tupa

Mud-flat Cardisoma-Crab

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Adult with pincers outstretched 63KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Adult with pincers outstretched 60KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Mud-flat Cardisoma-Crab, Butcher Land-Crab

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tupa / Rata (RR), Tupa? (MG), Tupa (AK TS TW RK PK); COMMENT: Rarotonga: Rata in Ngatangiia, Tupa elsewhere (Turara Pekepo 1998).

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Taiwan - Cooks - Tuamotu

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group common but absent on makatea islands; N.Group common; Land, coastal, breed in the sea

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food;

KEY FEATURES: Carapace 50x60mm. A large dull, dark reddish-brown crab with a deep transversely oval carapace with rounded sides to allow for the expanded gill chambers. Large idividuals can be orange-yellow in colour. On larger males the chelipeds are conspiculously unequal, and large females have somewhat unequal chelipeds.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Separated from the other local Cardisoma by having the furry-checks much narrower than high, and by lacking obvious oblique striae on the posterolateral borders of tthe carapace. The males of the other species also have equal and not greatly enlarged nippers.

Enlarged Image of 'Cardisoma carnifex'

Cook Islands Distribution

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Southern Group: Present    Makatea:
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN
++L
P?
-
-
-
P
P

Northern Group: Present
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
P
P
P
+++

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Cardisoma carnifex (Herbst, 1796)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; CRUSTACEA; MALACOSTRACA; EUMALACOSTRACA; Eucarida; Decapoda; Reptantia; Brachyura; Brachygnatha; Brachyrhyncha; GECARCINIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Food;. Comments: Eat on RK AK

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Manuae: AccNo.1971.201. Tongareva: BPBM-Cat.2114. Manihiki: Bullivant74. Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Cardisoma carnifex.

References:
Special Reference: Forest & Guinot 1961 [Fr.]; Yaldwyn & Wodzicki 1979;

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, zB02, zM04b, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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