The tunnelling mud crab, ''Austrohelice crassa'', is a
marine large-eyed crab of the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Grapsidae
The Grapsidae are a family (biology), family of crabs known variously as marsh crabs, shore crabs, or talon crabs. The family has not been confirmed to form a monophyletic group and some Taxon, taxa may belong in other families. They are found al ...
,
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...
to the sea coasts of New Zealand. Their
carapace
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...
width is up to 40 mm.
References
External links
SeaFriends
Grapsoidea
Marine crustaceans of New Zealand
Crabs of the Pacific Ocean
Crustaceans described in 1851
{{Eubrachyura-stub