Family PORTUNIDAE Rafinesque, 1815

<em>Parathranites orientalis</em> [from Miers 1886: pl. 17 fig. 1]

Parathranites orientalis [from Miers 1886: pl. 17 fig. 1]

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Family PORTUNIDAE Rafinesque, 1815

Compiler and date details

May 2012 - Peter Davie, Queensland Museum, Brisbane

Coenophthalmoida Alcock, A. 1899. Materials for a Carcinological Fauna of India. No. 4. The Brachyura Cyclometopa. Part II. A Revision of the Cyclometopa with an Account of the Families Portunidae, Cancridae and Corystidae. Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal 68(Pt 2 No. 1): 1-104 [8].

Introduction

Portunids are commonly known as 'swimming crabs', and most are particularly efficient swimmers, using the characteristic flattened paddles on the last pair of legs. This ability, combined with stout, pointed, sharply toothed and spined claws, makes many of them fast and aggressive predators. Portunids such as the Mud CrabsScylla serrata and Scylla olivacea, and Blue Swimmers—Portunus armatus are highly prized food items, and form the mainstay of the Australian crab fishing industry, worth many millions of dollars annually.

Portunids are found in all oceans, but reach their greatest diversity in the Indo-west Pacific. In Australia there are around 15 genera and nearly 100 species. While many are large, active predators, others are very small. Some are even found living commensally, for example, the Harlequin Crab, Lissocarcinus orbicularis, lives on and in large holothurians.

The taxonomy of Australian portunids has been relatively well studied, particularly by the late Prof. W. ('Bill') Stephenson and his co-workers (see Stephenson & Hudson (1957), Stephenson & Campbell (1959, 1960), Stephenson (1961, 1972a, 1972b, 1976), Stephenson & Rees (1961, 1967, 1968a, 1968b, 1968c), Rees & Stephenson (1966), Stephenson & Cook (1973)). In particular, Stephenson's (1972a) annotated checklist and keys to the Indo-west Pacific Portunidae are essential tools for any study of this group. Other relevant and important recent works include those of Wee & Ng (1995), Keenan et al. (1998) (revising Scylla), Apel & Spiridonov (1998), and Lai et al. (2010)(revising Portunus.

Some taxonomic and nomenclatural changes at the subfamily level have been introduced since Stephenson's (1972a) work. Perhaps the most important was the resurrection by Apel & Spiridonov (1998) of the Thalamitinae Paul'son, 1875, which was for a long time included in the Portuninae. The other change concerns the use of the name Polybiinae. Stephenson & Campbell (1960) erected the subfamily Macropipinae to include Macropipus Prestandrea, Ovalipes Rathbun, and Parathranites Miers, but Holthuis (1968) pointed out that Polybiinae Ortmann, 1893 is the senior available name for this group. Following Ng et al. (2008), the Polybiidae and Carcinidae are now treated as separate families within the Superfamily Portunoidea.

Diagnosis

Carapace typically subhexagonal or transversely oval; flat; regions not well defined; usually broader than long, and broadest between last pair of anterolateral teeth; 1–9 pairs of anterolateral teeth (including exorbital angle); front horizontal, broad, lobulate or dentate. Eyes typically short, well protected by sunken rounded orbits; rarely greatly lengthened and largely unprotected. Lobe on endite of first maxilliped ('portunid lobe') usually present. Chelipeds typically robust; fingers usually sharply pointed, occasionally spoon-shaped. Last pair of legs generally modified for swimming, with propodus and dactylus paddle-like; dactylus rarely styliform. Abdominal segments 3–5 typically fused in males; male genital openings coxal; female openings sternal.

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

Holthuis, L.B. 1968. Polybiinae, the correct name for the subfamily containing the genus Macropipus Prestandrea, 1833 (Decapoda Brachyura Portunidae). Crustaceana 14: 220-221

Keenan, C.P., Davie, P.J.F. & Mann, D.L. 1998. A revision of the genus Scylla de Haan, 1833 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 46(1): 217-245

Lai, J.C.Y., Ng, P.K.L. & Davie, P.J.F. 2010. A revision of the Portunus pelagicus species-complex (Crustacea: Brachyura: Portunidae),with the recognition of four species. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 58(2): 199–237 [Date published 31 Aug. 2010]

Ng, P.K.L, Guinot, D. & Davie, P.J.F. 2008. Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 17: 1-286 [Date published 31 January 2008]

Ortmann, A.E. 1893. Abtheilung: Brachyura (Brachyura genuina Boas), I. Unterabtheilung: Majoidea und Crancroidea, 1: Section Portuninea. Die Decapoden-Krebse des Strassburger Museums, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der von Herrn Dr Döderlein bei Japan und bei den Liu-Kiu-Inseln gesammelten und z.Z. im Strassburger Museum aufbewahrten Formen, VI. Theil. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Geographie und Biologie der Tiere 7: 23-88 pl. 3

Paul'son, O.M. 1875. Podophthalmata i Edriophthalmata (Cumacea) Part I. In, Izledovaniya Rakoobraznykh Krasnago Morya s Zamekami Otnositel'no Rakoobraznykh Drugikhv Morie. Kiev : Kul'zhenko. i-xiv 1-144 pp. pls 1-21 [reissued and translated by F.D. Por, 1961: Studies on Crustacea of the Red Sea with notes regarding other seas. Part I. Podophthalmata and Edriophthalmata (Cumacea). Jerusalem: Israel Program for Scientific Translations; published for the National Science Foundation and Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.: pp. 1–134, pls 1–21]

Rees, M. & Stephenson, W. 1966. Some portunids (Crustacea: Portunidae) mostly from Queensland. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 78(3): 29-42 pl. 7

Stephenson, W. 1961. The Australia Portunids (Crustacea: Portunidae). V. Recent collections. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 12(1): 92-128 pls 1-5

Stephenson, W. 1972. An annotated check list and key to the Indo-west Pacific swimming crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Portunidae). Bulletin of the Royal Society of New Zealand 10: 1-64

Stephenson, W. 1972. Portunid crabs from the Indo-West Pacific and Western America in the Zoological Museum, Copenhagen (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae). Steenstrupia 2(9): 127-156

Stephenson, W. 1976. Notes on Indo-West-Pacific Portunids (Decapoda, Portunidae) in the Smithsonian Institution. Crustaceana 31(1): 11-26

Stephenson, W. & Campbell, B. 1959. The Australian Portunids (Crustacea: Portunidae) III. The genus Portunus. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 10(1): 84-124 pls 1-5

Stephenson, W. & Campbell, B. 1960. The Australian Portunids (Crustacea: Portunidae) IV: Remaining Genera. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 11(1): 73-122

Stephenson, W. & Cook, S. 1973. Studies of Portunus gladiator complex and related species of Portunus (Crustacea: Decapoda). Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 16(3): 415-434

Stephenson, W. & Hudson, J. 1957. The Australian Portunids (Crustacea: Portunidae). I. The genus Thalamita. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 8(3): 312-386 pls 1-10

Stephenson, W. & Rees, M. 1961. Sur deux nouveaux Crustacés Portunidae Indo-Pacifiques. Bulletin du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris [published 1907-1971] 33(4): 421-427

Stephenson, W. & Rees, M. 1967. Some Portunid crabs from the Pacific and Indian Oceans in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 120(3556): 1-114 9 pls

Stephenson, W. & Rees, M. 1968. A revision of the Charybdis miles "group" of species (Crustacea: Portunidae), with description of a new species from Queensland waters. Memoirs of the Queensland Museum 15(2): 91-110 1 pl.