(Bate, 1888)
Diagnosis:
Carapace smooth between the ridges and large spines. Chelae of first pereiopods weakly ridged and finely granular. Transverse grooves present on second to fifth abdominal tergites.
Type:
Type locality: "Challenger" "Station 204A, ...lat. 12°43'N., long. 122°9'E.; between Samboangan [ = Zamboanga) and Manila; depth, 100 fathoms [=182 m]; bottom, green mud". Male lectotype in BM, no. 88.22 (in alcohol, condition good).
Geographical Distribution:
Indo-West Pacific region: Korea (Korea Strait), China (Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea), Japan (from Tosa Bay on the east coast of Shikoku Island, and the west coast of Kyushu south to the Ryukyu Islands), Taiwan, and the Philippines (off Tablas).
Habitat and Biology:
Depth range from 50 to 500 m, on sandy mud bottom. Ovigerous females are generally caught in the East China Sea from the middle of September to the middle of April. The larval development has been described by Uchida and Dotsu (1973: 23-35).
Size:
Maximum total body length about 15 cm, usually not more than 12 cm.
Interest to Fisheries:
In Korea the species is offered for sale at the Busan markets. According to Uchida and Dotsu (1973: 23) the species "is usually caught in the East China Sea by trawl net fishing and used as food". In Taiwan the species is sold in markets, and its price is higher than that of M. formosanus, which is found in greater quantities (Chan and Yu, 1987: 183); it is sold there throughout the year, but is "not valuable" (Chang, 1965: 48). Motoh, Dimaano and Pution (1978: 22) mention that "a kind of red shrimp (probably Nephrops thomsoni)" is caught by a bobo ("a kind of baited trap") "at deeper water exceeding to 40 m", in Mindanao, Philippines.