PORT PHILLIP BAY


Large Pebble Crab 

Bellidilia undecimspinosa (Kinahan, 1856)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Front of carapace quadridentate between orbits; roof of orbit with 2 sutures. Indentation between apices of inner frontal teeth narrower than indentations between these and lateral teeth. Carapace dorsally smooth, with 8 or more white dots, lateral margins with 3 low angular projections, with distinct medial posterior spine or ridge, posterior margin almost straight, with 3 distinct teeth. Male with paired lateral swellings basally on each side of fused abdominal somites 3-6 and bump on somite 6 at juncture with telson. Male gonopods 1 and 2 almost equal in length. Abdomen of female with somites 3-6 fused.

Source: Poore, G.C.B. (2004) Marine decapod Crustacea of southern Australia. A guide to identification (with chapter on Stomatopoda by Shane Ahyong). CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, 574 pp.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Subclass:
Eumalacostraca
Superorder:
Eucarida
Order:
Decapoda
Suborder:
Pleocyemata
Infraorder:
Brachyura
Family:
Leucosiidae
Subfamily:
Philyrinae
Genus:
Bellidilia
Species:
undecimspinosa

General Description

Body smooth, circular and mottled light and dark green-grey. Three triangular teeth on rear of the carapace. Up to 4 cm wide (carapace).

Biology

Large Pebble Crab males have longer claws than the females.

Habitat

Muddy areas, to depth of 95 m.

Soft substrates

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

South-eastern Australia.

Species Group

Crabs and allies › Crabs

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

4 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Harmful

Not harmful but a nip from large claws could be painful

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 741

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Taylor, J.

Dr. Jo Taylor is the Sciences Collections Online Coordinator at Museum Victoria.

Author

article author Poore, G.C.B.

Dr. Gary Poore is Principal Curator Emeritus at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
Taylor, J. & Poore, G.C.B., 2011, Large Pebble Crab, Bellidilia undecimspinosa, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 10 Dec 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/3869

Text: creative commons cc by licence