COMMON NAMES: Thukuhar Shore-Crab

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Tumatumavai (MG)

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Indonesia - Japan - Fiji - Cooks - Societies - Hawai‘i

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore

KEY FEATURES: Carapace 16x20mm (LxW). The quadrangular carapace is widest at the front; the front is more than half the maximum width; the eyes on the outer corners; the surface has fine transverse lines on the lateral sections but is smooth centrally; there is not tooth on the anterolateral margin.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Separated from Metopograpsus messor only by detailed comparison of the genital structures. The male's first pleopod of thukuhar is relatively long and slender and has a obvious spine projecting beyond the terminal bristles, while the structure in messor lack any structure projecting beyond the terminal bristles, and the whole is relatively short and stout. In the female, thukuhar has a blunt lobe within the oviduct, while messor has a conical projection protruding out the oviduct opening. [mainly after Forest & Guinot 1961]