Naxia aurita, Port Phillip Bay, VIC, Photo: Rick Stuart-Smith
Distribution
Temperate Australasia
Description
Moderate-sized spider crab with a pear-shaped body and orange chelipeds with blue trim. Two related species differ in having the second last segment of the legs expanded terminally to form a claw and in having large spines (Naxia spinosa) and tubercles (Naxia tumida) on the upper surface of the carapace. All three species occur in sheltered vegetated habitats along the southern coast, with N.aurita the most common.
Information
Max Size: 4 cm
Sea Temperature Range: 10.5-22.3°C
Depth: 0-108m
Habitat: Seagrass
Rarity
IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
Occurrence: Infrequent (5% of sites)
Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution.
It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.
Edit by: GJ Edgar. 2008. Australian Marine Life. New Holland, Sydney
Copyright to the photographs on this site belongs solely to the credited photographers. Any requests for usage can be directed to the photographer through
[email protected].