Stebbing, 1900
Diagnosis:
Rostrum broadly triangular, far overreached by the eyes that are oval. Antennal angle low and blunt, without spine. Antennular peduncle much longer than antennal peduncle, which it overreaches with more than half the length of the last segment.
Third maxilliped with merus and ischium strongly widened to form an operculum. Carpus somewhat widened, being less than twice as long as wide; propodus strongly widened, being wider than long; dactylus slender. Large chela of adult male with a deep, but rather wide concavity in the anterior margin of the palm above the fixed finger. Carpus about as long as palm, and as long as high. Merus with a rounded lobe in basal part of lower margin. Surface of larger cheliped with numerous tubercles.
Telson distinctly wider than long and much shorter than uropods, being only somewhat more than half as long as endopod. Lateral margins of telson convex, posterolateral corners rounded, posterior margin almost straight, without a spine. Endopod of uropod elongate oval.
Type:
Type locality: "Cape of Good Hope, Gordon's Bay, a little below high water mark". Syntypes in SAM.
Geographical Distribution:
Southern Africa from Lambert's Bay (west coast of Cape Province, South Africa) to Delagoa Bay (= Bay of Lourenço Marques, Mozambique).
Habitat and Biology:
Littoral zone to 0.5 m deep, in sheltered bays and estuaries. Substrate sand, in which it digs its burrows, the populations usually are very dense.
Size:
Total body length up to 7 cm.
Interest to Fisheries:
Day (1969: 108) mentioned that in South Africa the species is considered as forming "good bait" and it is partially protected in so far, that only 50 specimens can be taken per person per day, while the use of spades and forks is prohibited (but yabbie pumps are not). The importance of the species as bait in southern Africa also is demonstrated by the fact that when in 1984 Ciskei issued a series of 4 stamps figuring bait animals, the 11 c stamp showed the present species.