Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Percnon planissimum

Pāpaka Toetoe (MG)

Flat Rock-Crab

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Adult male	42KB
Image:	Adult female (b&w illustration)	27KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Flat Rock-Crab, Sally Lightfoot Crab [also Grapsus grapsus], Sally Longleg Crab

TRADITIONAL NAMES: Pāpaka Toetoe / Toetoe (MG), Pāpaka Toetoe (AT), Papaka Toetoe / Toetoe (MK), Pāpaka Taratara (MT)

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

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Food

KEY FEATURES: Carapace 45x40mm. Dark green. Carapace flat and almost round; very thin; mostly covered in very short black bristles; three sharp anterolateral teeth. Conspicuous spines on front of the legs. Carapace very flat. Palms distinctly inflated in the male; fingers short, hollowed out with sharp cutting edges. Walking legs long, slender, flattened with sharp spines on the anterior margin.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Percnon affinis is very similar and may be in the same species.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

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

Percnon planissimum (Herbst, 1804)
SYNONYMS: Percnon planissimus; Acanthopus planissimus

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

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Cooks: (C/159, 1980s); Rarotonga: BPBM-Cat.1684,1682,3220; Mauke: field-specimen, College collection, 3/2001, ID GMcC.

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.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List