Chinese Mitten
Crab
Eriocheir sinensis
Phylum Arthropoda / Class Crustacea / Subclass
Malacostraca
Superorder Eucarida / Order Decapoda / Suborder Reptantia
Section Brachyura / Family Grapsidae
Distinguishing Characteristics
The greyish-green to light or dark brown adults characteristically
have
hairy, mitten-like claws of equal size with white tips
(Horwath 1989, Nickles 1997). However, Panning (1938) remarked that no
hair
grew on the claws if they had been
regenerated. Thus, it may be misleading to use characteristically hairy
claws as the sole identifier of these crabs.