crustacea text index | photo index
Phylum Arthropoda > Subphylum Crustacea > Class Malacostraca > Order Decapoda
Photo index of crabs on Singapore shores
Large crabs with last pair of legs paddle-shaped

size indicated is for body width

Red swimming crab

Thalamita spinimana

Blue swimming crab
Thalamita
sp.
 
5-7cm. Body rectangular, eyes wide apart. With 5 spines on the sides. Body and pincers plain bright orange or red, some with a short thin white vertical line between the eyes. Coral rubble and reefs. Commonly seen on many of our shores. Body width 5-7cm. Body rectangular, eyes wide apart. With 5 spines on the sides. Body and pincers plain blue without any markings. 'Fingers' are often black with a white tip. Coral rubble and reefs. Commonly seen on many of our shores. 5-7cm. Body rectangular, eyes wide apart. With 4 spines on the sides, bright blue with dark tips. Pincers have similar blue spines. Coral rubble, reefs. Commonly seen on many of our shores. 5-7cm. Body rectangular, eyes wide apart. With 5 spines on the sides. Body and pincers plain dark chocolate brown, some with a short white vertical line between the eyes. Legs may be blue. Coral rubble and reefs. Commonly seen on many of our shores.  

Banded-leg
swimming crab

Charybdis annulata

Mud crab
Scylla
sp.

Flower crab
Portunus pelagicus

Tiny swimming crab
Portunus pelagicus
Body width 5-7cm. Body fan-shaped with 6 spines on the sides. Eyes not wide apart. Legs are purple, pincers orange claws with dark tips. Commonly seen on our Northern shores. 5-7cm. Body fan-shaped with 5-6 spines on the sides. Eyes not wide apart. Legs banded dark brown and bright blue, pincer tips similarly banded. Sometimes seen on some of our shores. 5-20cm. Can be enormous! Body fan-shaped with 9 spines on the sides, last pair not enlarged. Eyes not wide apart. Seagrass areas. Sometimes seen on some of our shores. 5-20cm. Body fan-shaped with 9 spines on the sides, the last pair enlarged into a protruding spike. Eyes not wide apart. Seagrass areas. Commonly seen on many of our shores. Body width 2-6cm. Body fan-shaped with 8-9 spines on the sides. Eyes not wide apart. Seagrasses and seaweeds. Commonly seen on our Northern shores among seagrasses and seaweeds.

How to tell apart the swimming crabs

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photo index of
crustaceans on this site
Crustaceans
all crustaceans

Crabs
all crabs and crab-like

small

body width <2 cm

small with long eyestalks


small porcelain crabs

3 pairs walking legs

medium
body width 3-5cm

large
body width >5cm

swimming crabs
last pair of legs paddle-shaped

hermit crabs
live in shells
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