Charybdis erythrodactyla
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| Charybdis erythrodactyla | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Portunidae |
| Genus: | Charybdis |
| Species: | C. erythrodactyla |
| Binomial name | |
| Charybdis erythrodactyla Lamarck, 1818 | |
Charybdis erythrodactyla, also called the rainbow swimming crab, is a species of swimming crab in the family Portunidae.[1]
The Rainbow Swimming crab lives in warm ocean waters as the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, parts of the south pacific [2]. They are occasionally found in the Honolulu fish market [3].
Charybdis erythrodactyla has a wide, flattened shell that helps it swim. It has bright blue markings on a yellow orange body [2]. The carapace is slightly covered with fine hair and has six small teeth along the front edge [4]. The sides of the shell also contain six teeth [4]. These large individuals can grow to more than 7 inches (about 18 cm) across the carapace [4]. The transverse ridges on the shell are strong, but there is no ridge across the cardiac region [4]. The claws are more or less covered with fine hair, with small spines on the walking legs [4].