Family CARCINIDAE MacLeay, 1838

Nectocarcinus integrifrons [from A. Milne Edwards 1861: pl. 38 fig. 1]

Museums

Regional Maps

• Carcinidae MacLeay, W.S. 1838. On the Brachyurous Decapod Crustacea brought from the Cape by Dr Smith. pp. 53–71 pl. 3 in, Illustrations of the Annulosa of South Africa; being a portion of the objects of natural history collected during an expedition into the interior of South Africa, under the direction of Dr Andrew Smith, in the years 1834, 1835, and 1836; fitted out by "The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa". London. 75 pp. 4 pls [59].
• Megalopidae Haworth, A.H. 1825. A new binary arrangement of the macrurus Crustacea. Philosophical Magazine and Journal 65: 183-184 [184].
• Platyonychidae Dana, J.D. 1851. On the Classification of the Cancroidea. American Journal of Science and Arts 12(34): 121-131 [130].
• Portumninae Ortmann, A.E. 1899. Crustacea, Zweite Hälfte: Malacostraca. 1169-1232 pls 117-122 in Bronn, H.G. (ed.). Klassen und Ordnungen des Thier-Reichs. Band 5, Abtheilung II (Gliederfüssler: Arthropoda), Lieferung 53–56. Liepzig : [unknown]. [1170].
• Xaividae Berg, C. 1900. Datos sobre algunos crustáceos nuevos para la fauna argentina. Comunicaciones del Museo Nacional de Buenos Aires 1(7): 223-236 [224].

Diagnosis

Carapace subhexagonal, moderately wider than broad or about as broad as long; not obviously convex in both directions; eyestalks short; anterolateral border divided into five or fewer teeth (including exorbital tooth), supra-orbital fissures reduced, infraorbital fissure reduced or absent. Basal antennal segment narrow, cylindrical, fixed or free, longer than broad, lying longitudinally; lobe on first maxilliped ('portunid lobe') inconspicuous. Chelipeds long and stout; usually without spines except for inner carpal spine. At least one pair of ambulatory legs longer than chelipeds; dactyli of last pair of legs mostly lanceolate or styliform. Male first gonopod without subterminal spines. (After Apel & Spiridonov 1998).

General References

Apel, M. & Spiridonov, V.A. 1998. Taxonomy and zoogeography of the portunid crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae) of the Arabian Gulf and adjacent waters. Fauna of Arabia 17: 159-331

History of changes