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Charybdis erythrodactyla

Ti‘oro (MG)

Red-legged Swimming-Crab

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Red-legged Swimming-Crab

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tī‘oro (MG), Ūpaki / Upaki (MK), Ūpaki (MT AK)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Japan - Tuamotu - Hawai‘i

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food; Poisonous to eat - serious

KEY FEATURES: Carapace 75x110mm. Large. Orange with vivid blue-green spots, and bright red legs. Carapace naked and glossy. Front slightly convex, teeth - 6 ±equal, narrow-conical. Anterolateral - 5 large sharp teeth including one at eye, with 2-3 subsidary teeth. Several dorsal teeth on cheliped, but no spine on posterior border of cheliped arm.

Enlarged Image of 'Charybdis erythrodactyla'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P	^P		P		P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Charybdis erythrodactyla (Lamarck, 1818)
SYNONYMS: Charybdis (Goniosupradens) erythrodactyla; Thalamita erythrodactyla. Portunus erythrodactyla

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; CRUSTACEA; MALACOSTRACA; EUMALACOSTRACA; Eucarida; Decapoda; Reptantia; Brachyura; Brachygnatha; Brachyrhyncha; PORTUNIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Mangaia: specimen, College, 9/2000, ID GMcC. Mauke: field-specimen, College collection, 3/2001, ID GMcC.

References:
Special Reference: Forest & Guinot 1961 [Fr.]; Sakai 19?? p.365, pl.129/2;

Data Update History (information):
zTXmx, zB02, zM02, 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.
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