A. Milne Edwards, 1880
Two distinct, widely separated tooth-like frontal horns, between which the anterior margin of the carapace is visible. Frontal horns truncated with anterior margin crenulate. Antennal flagella although large and firm, quite flexible. Antennular plate between bases of antennae narrow, unarmed; stridulating organ present. First segment of antennular peduncle reaching beyond antennal peduncle. Flagella of antennules short, shorter than last segment of antennular peduncle. First pair of legs not enlarged, with no trace of a pincer, without crossbands; carapace without a scale-like sculpture. Abdominal segments with a sometimes interrupted transeverse groove, but without squamiform sculpturation.
Type Species: by monotypy: Palinustus truncatus A. Milne Edwards, 1880.
The genus is characterized by the shape of the frontal horns, that do not end in a sharp point but in a broad, bluntly truncated top that sometimes is crenulated; a strong spine is present on the outer margin of each horn.
Four species have been described of this genus, none with any commercial value as the species all seem to be very scarce and all occur at considerable depths. The taxonomic status of some of the species is not yet clear.
From the data in the literature it seems most likely that almost all the specimens, other than the type material, that have been identified as Palinustus mossambicus do not belong to that species but must be assigned to Palinustus waguensis. This assumption, which still has to be proven by thorough study of an extensive material, has been adopted here, admittedly without sufficient basic data. However, this seems the best solution at the present time.