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Scylla serrata
Scylla serrata (Forsskål, 1775)
Indo-Pacific swamp crab
Scylla serrata
photo by FAO

Family:  Portunidae (swimming crabs)
Max. size:  28 cm CW (male/unsexed); max.weight: 3,000.0 g
Environment:  benthic; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 50 m
Distribution:  Indo-West Pacific. Introduced in Hawaii and USA.
Diagnosis:  Carapace smooth, with strong transverse ridges; H-shaped gastric groove deep; relatively broad frontal lobes, all more or less in line with each other; broad anterolateral teeth, projecting obliquely outwards. Well-developed present on outer surface of chelipedal carpus and anterior and posterior dorsal parts of the palm. Color: carapace green to almost black; legs may be marbled.
Biology:  Maximum carapace width: between 25 and 28 cm. Maximum weight between 2 and 3 kg. Also collected by baited wire mesh pots. Sold in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, where the large crabs (so called "meat crabs") and females with ripe ovaries ("roe crabs") command a price from US$5 to US$10 per kg. Largest exporters of this species are Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh. There have been attempts to culture the crabs in captivity, but none of the closed-cycle enterprise have gone commercial. Tide is relied upon by farms to bring megalopae or late zoeae into grow-out ponds. Prefers oceanic waters, usually found just offshore on soft muddy bottoms (Also Ref. 9773). Can be caught up to 50 m offshore as it migrates offshore to spawn (Ref. 343). Subtidal (Ref. 106854). Digs deep burrows in mangroves and soft substrates in shallow or intertidal waters (Refs. 343, 9773). Found in brackish to sea water (Ref. 77016). Forages at night. Major predator (Also Ref. 128960) of small invertebrates colonizing mangrove swamps (Ref. 8752). Feeds on shrimps, crabs, fishes, and bivalves (Refs. 99886, 102679). Benthic scavenger but prefers oysters (Ref. 9773).
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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