Crab

[jasper]

Hi,

Caught plenty of blue swimmers and mudies over the years but never caught or seen one of these, he was released.

Cheers

Gibbo

[Andy Loops]

which waterway mate? interesting capture!

Edited February 6, 2011 by Andy Loops

[jasper]

where'd u get him mate?? no idea what sort of crab he is?

Lemontree Passage in a witches hat got nothing else in the other 4 hats.

[helliconia]

Looks like a Spanner Crab to me, but I'm sticking my neck out a bit as I'm not sure

[hookmeup]

Definitely a chillie,wine,butter & garlic crab

if not sure better to release, well done

[myocard]

Sand Crab?? (Ovalipes australiensis)

http://www.woodbridge.tased.edu.au/mdc/Species%20Register/crabs.htm

[jasper]

Sand Crab?? (Ovalipes australiensis)

http://www.woodbridge.tased.edu.au/mdc/Species%20Register/crabs.htm

Thanks could be sand/surf crab, although caught about 18kms upstream from nearest beach......

[tunastrike]

dont know caught alot of crabs over the years maybe something wrong with it or new species wart crab.

[arty9]

Spanner Crab was the first name that came to my head

[arty9]

Just looking at google images, I dont think it is a Spanner now. Legs are to different and nippers not quite the same.

Maybe a blue swimmer has been playing around with somethine else.

Interesting crab thou

[Smitty]

Bit of %%%%%ly one haha

Closest thing I can find is the Red Swimmer Crab (Nectocarcinus integrifrons). Even this doesn't look exactly the same...what sex was it?

[Andy Loops]

I caught a few males of these in the last couple of months up in port stephens and a mate of mine reckons they are a type of coral crab that are normally found up north?! I released the ones I caught too as wasn't sure what they were.

[Get The Net]

Could it be a half cooked crab that got away from the pot

[PRED-ATOR]

mate looks like a large common shore crab and red rock crab. I havent eaten neither but they dont look like they hold much meat.

both species are found around rocky or sandy areas. And the red rock crab is common around reef structure and is very agressive.

Dont think its a spanner crab as they have a curly tail very similair to a yabbie.

Cheers, Predator

[Trapper Tom]

Hey gibbo

Knocked one of these off a few years back in the Hawksbury.

Threw it back.

It is interesting though.

Try googling a "Red swimmer crab". or Nectocarcinius integriforms. Your photos aren't quite clear enough.

Even thats only a 90% fit as they have black tips on their claws.

The big tell would be the 4 small antenna between the eyes.

Cheers

Trapper Tom

[Hodgey]

It's definitely not a Spanner Crab and as Tom stated, it's close to a Red Swimmer but there are still some anomalies.

I have sent the photos to fisheries and requested an ID on your behalf, Gibbo

Cheers

Hodgey

[Andy Loops]

here are a few pics of one of the ones I picked up recently.. sure sounds like them. Mine had black on the end of the nippers.

Edited April 13, 2011 by Andy Loops

[Trapper Tom]

Hi Hodgey

Any reply yet.

From Andy Loops post sure looks like it.

Might suggest now that Gibbo63 post may have been a recent moult and had not coloured up yet.

Gibbo how did you go with the 4 attena thing, it is the tell!

Cheers.

Trapper Tom.

[jasper]

Hi Trapper,

I checked the photos and only 2 antenna

Andy's crab looks the same I often find blue swimmers colors vary depending on where caught ie muddy bottom dark , sandy bottom much lighter and brighter andy's may have been in a muddier area as the one I caught was fairly sandy area.

This may explain the black nippers

Thank you Hodgey for submitting the photos

Cheers

Gibbo

[Hodgey]

No worries at all mate. As of Friday I had not heard from them. I will send a reminder on Monday. If that doesn't work I'll send the photos to the Museum

Cheers

Hodgey

[Hodgey]

Just got off the phone with the Museum. They have requested a copy of the photos (which I have emailed to them) and they should have an answer for us shortly.

Cheers

Hodgey

This received this afternoon:

Thank you for contacting us here at the Australian Museum. We have received your email and it has been recorded as Australian Museum Enquiry #18055. If you need to contact us about this enquiry, please reply directly to this message keeping the text in the subject field unchanged.

Please note that due to the current high volume of enquiries there may be a delay in replying to you, and where further research is needed, the delay may be considerably longer. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

Thank you for your understanding and patience. Kind regards,

The Search & Discover Team

[Hodgey]

This mystery is solved ....

Thank you for your enquiry.

We sent your image to one of our marine invertebrates experts and he gave the following identification:

The crab is a Ridged Swimming Crab, Charybdis natator. It's common along the northern coastline and extends down to NSW and southern WA; usually caught in inshore trawls but also in crab pots and sometimes by line. They are edible and occasionally make it into the fish markets.

The Red Swimmer is a different crab (Nectocarcinus integrifrons) from southern Australia.

Cheers

Hodgey

[rockfisherman]

Great investigation work there mate....

[jasper]

Thanks for your follow up work Hodgey another reason this is a great site :thumbup:

Maybe I will taste the next one.

Cheers

Gibbo

[Blackfish]

Thanks Hodgey for that, was certainly a strange one.

[Trapper Tom]

Hey Hodgey

Well done mate!

Was certainly a puzzler.

Cheers

Trapper Tom