
Photo credit: Teresa Zubi
CRINCH! #CrabOfTheDay for 08/26/2016: The Spectacled Box Crab or Calappa philargius is an Indo-Asiatic species of “Shame-Faced” crab. Named for the darker rings around its recessed eyes, C. philargius hags out, mostly buried in the muddy/shelly substrates it calls home. Spectacled Box Crabs have specialized ‘reverse-forcep’ chelipeds, perfect for can-opening a snail out of its shell. Though these crabs are often caught for eating and occasionally sold in markets, more often than not they find their way into Chinese traditional medicine! Called (馒头蟹) “Man Tou Xie, the ground up powder made from C. philargius’ shell is said to be able to alleviate pain, kill parasites, ease chest pain, and cure ringworm of the foot.
Photo credit: Eco-Photo Explorers
http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php? ... &id=209500
http://species-identification.org/speci ... pan&id=703