WHATS UP WITH THIS CRAB!?!?!?

[reef_raider]

got this crab in cabbage tree creek the other day and have no idea what it is, it got a mud crab body, sand crab claws and its orange and white just wondering if anyone could help me out identifying it or should i send the picture to the DPI for the identification?

thanks, reef_raider

[img size=500]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/CUB_Supermatic_Camper_002.jpg

[James W]

thats a weird one aint it! hahahah! looks like it should be out in the reefs or somthing....il check my guide to moreton bay when i get home thou...weird:lol:

[reef_raider]

thats what i thought mate when i pulled the pot up i was like ummm ok this looks like some reef creature thing:P

[wokket]

Heh, all teh reef comments are pretty cool, as we've always called them a 'Coral Crab'.

Never got them real big, but see them in Nudgee Ck a bit too.

[Angus]

The product of a mud crab walking into a sand crab bar on a drunken saturday night.

Angus

[reef_raider]

haha i think your spot on there angus

[ellicat]

Yeah it's a coral crab. Good bait for tuskfish.

[reef_raider]

thanks for that mate... is that their official name??? and are they regularly around mud and mangroves???

[ellicat]

That is their official name. (Unless you'd rather say Charybdis cruciata:S )

Pretty uncommon catch outside reefy areas I would think.

[reef_raider]

okey thanks heaps for that mate i had worked out that it was some sort of reef crab but wasnt sure about the mud crab body and sand crab claws thought it could have just been a mistake somewhere in the genetic line

[roobs]

there's a serious shortage of nutrients leaving the rivers at the moment due to the drought so i reckon that the outer ocean and reef species as well as the tropical fishes from up north are looking for food further in rivers than normal.

[Brian D]

Good call Roobs - I'd love to catch a coral trout in the Logan River!:woohoo:

[Angus]

Yeah i dont think there is any arguing some level of climate change. Just consider the salmon in the river.

Angus

[kriso]

did ya eat it? has any one eaten one or they illegal to keep?

[jham66]

We used to get them occasionally up in Cairns. We used to keep them according to the same legal size as sand crabs. They are super tasty!! Probably even sweeter than a sand crab. Same sort of meat distribution as well.

You should be stoked that you caught one!! top catch.

[jham66]

We used to get them occasionally up in Cairns. We used to keep them according to the same legal size as sand crabs. They are super tasty!! Probably even sweeter than a sand crab. Same sort of meat distribution as well.

You should be stoked that you caught one!! top catch.

[Mack_attack]

we got one aswell at cabbage tree point but he was only little [img size=175]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/crab.jpg

[reef_raider]

i got 2 more a few weeks ago at dohles rocks so if i ever get another one which is reasonably sized i may keep it to try it

[kiara_poltegerist]

they taste just about the same as normal sand crabs IMHO.

[kiara_poltegerist]

anyway, just a pix to share. sandcrabs from back in Malaysia- smack in the middle of the harbour .

The new captain on our 2nd ship was amazing lol. to avoid ppl nicking our crabs, he made a float by filling a plastic bag partially with air, so that it sort of suspended in mid-water, and used that to mark the pots instead of a proper float lol.. and after leaving them for 1 night in the harbour, he could still find them the next morning! how he managed to pull that off certainly beats me! [img size=500]http://www.australianfishing.com.au/media/kunena/attachments/legacy/images/crab.JPG

[Cowfish13]

A book I have says that they are called Coral Swimming Crab (or Crucifix Swimming Crab or Scientific Name: Charybdis feriatus)

[ellicat]

Like a lot of animals they have more than one name depending where you're from. (E.G. Carton/ slab/ box; Squire/snapper; Jade Perch/Barcoo grunter; Golden Perch/ Callop/Yellowbelly.....)

They're also called musk crabs in places.

Crucifix = cruciata which probably = feriatus somewhere.

In the end you can call 'em coral crabs and people will know what you're talking about I would think.