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'''Charybdis''' is a genus of swimming crabs in the family Portunidae; "Charybdis" is Greek for whirlpool. There are many species in the genus ''Charybdis'':

Contents

''Charybdis affinis''

''Charybdis cruciata''

''Charybdis hellerii''

''Charybdis japonica''

''Charybdis longicollis''

''Charybdis natator''

Notes

''Charybdis affinis''

''Charybdis affinis'' has a hexagonal, concave carapace with a yellowish-grey colour. This crab is found in the Indian Ocean and in the West Pacific ^[1].

''Charybdis cruciata''

''Charybdis cruciata'' is found in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from Japan, China and Australia to Southern Africa and the Persian Gulf ^[2]. It is an edible crab and because of its large size, high quality of meat and relatively soft exoskeleton, it has a high commercial value. Attempts are being made to farm this crab using aquaculture ^[3]. In Hong Kong Cantonese it is known as the flowery crab (花蟹) ^[4]. This name probably arises from its red and white colouring when cooked. This species of crab is also known as ''Charybdis feriata'' and ''Charybdis feriatus'' ^[5] and has also been found in the Mediterranean Sea. The specific epithet ''cruciata'' refers to the red cross on the carapace of this species. According to legend the Spanish Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier saw this crab in Indonesia. "A Ceram, écrit François-Xavier, un crabe sur la plage me rapporta entre ses pinces mon crucifix qu'une tempête avait arraché à mon cou. Depuis, en cette région, les crabes ont un crucifix imprimé sur leur carapace" ^[6].

''Charybdis hellerii''

''Charybdis hellerii'' is characterised by a hexagonal, concave carapace with a mottled brownish-grey colour. This crab originates from the Indo-West Pacific, from the Red Sea to New Caledonia. However this crab has now also successively invaded the Western Atlantic (Florida to Brazil) ^[7] and the Mediterranean Sea ^[8].

''Charybdis japonica''

''Charybdis japonica'' has a hexagonal, concave carapace with a reddish-brown colour and is found in the waters near Japan ^[8].

''Charybdis longicollis''

''Charybdis longicollis'' is an invasive species from the Red Sea that invaded the Mediterranean Sea fifty years ago ^[10].

''Charybdis natator''

''Charybdis natator'' is characterised by a brownish upper surface with some white spots among the wafts or bright red granules. On its under surface it is bluish, mottled with white and pale red ^[8]. This crab is not a major target for commercial fishing ^[8].

Notes

1. Morphometric analysis and reproductive biology of the crab ''Charybdis affinis'' (Decapoda, Brachyura, Portunidae) from the Zhujiang Estuary, China, K. H. Chu, , , Crustaceana, 1999
2. The capture of the Indo-Pacific crab ''Charybdis feriata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Mediterranean Sea, P. Abellу & C. Hispano, , , Aquatic Invasions, 2006
3. Seed Production of the Crucifix Crab ''Charybdis feriatus'', F. D. Parado-Estepa, E. T. Quinitio & E. M. Rodriguez, , , Aqua KE Government Documents, 2003
4. The Crabs of Hong Kong Part III, C.-J. Shen, , , The Hong Kong Naturalist, 1997
5. The capture of the Indo-Pacific crab ''Charybdis feriata'' (Linnaeus, 1758) (Brachyura: Portunidae) in the Mediterranean Sea, P. Abellу & C. Hispano, , , Aquatic Invasions, 2006
6. L'extrémité du monde. Relation de saint François-Xavier sur ses voyages et sur sa vie, R. de Ceccatty, , , , 1985,
7. Life history, larval description, and natural history of ''Charybdis hellerii'' (Decapoda: Brachyura: Portunidae), an invasive crab in the western Atlantic, J. F. Dineen, P. F. Clark, A. H. Hines, S. A. Reed & H. P. Walton, , , Journal of Crustacean Biology, 2001
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10. Observations on the agonistic behavior of the swimming crab ''Charybdis longicollis'' Leene infected by the rhizocephalan barnacle ''Heterosaccus dollfusi'' Boschma, G. Innocenti, N. Pinter & B. S. Galil, , , Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2003
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