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Grapsus tenuicrustatus

Mīkia (MG)

Weak-shelled Shore-Crab

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Weak-shelled Shore-Crab, Weak-shelled Rock-Crab

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Mīkia / Mēkia (MG), Paikea (MK MT), ‘Ake‘akeā / Karai‘i ‘Ake‘akeā (AK), Pakapaka (TS TW), Kalami Nēneva (PK)

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, intertidal - splash zone, under/on rocks

KEY FEATURES: Carapace 72x75mm. Large, vividly coloured black, red and yellow. Front less than half maximum carapace width; lateral margins distinctly bowed outward. Carapace marked by transverse and oblique ridges; with strong oblique ridges posterolaterally (over brachial region) with surface between rough. Male chelipeds stout, with strong teeth, tips spooned and white.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Grapsus strigosus is similar but smaller (35mm wide); has less marked ridges on carapace; and the area between the oblique posterolateral ridges is smooth - rather than rough.

Enlarged Image of 'Grapsus tenuicrustatus'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

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

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

Grapsus tenuicrustatus (Herbst, 1783)
SYNONYMS: Grapsus grapsus tenuicrustatus; Grapsus maculatus tenuicrustatus

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: (C/025, 1980s); Mauke: field-specimen, College collection, 3/2001, ID GMcC. Manihiki: Bullivant74; Pukapuka: fieldspecimen, 2/2004, G.McCormack with ID as Grapsus tenuicrustatus.

References:
Special Reference: Forest & Guinot 1961 [Fr.]; Edmondson 1959;

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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