Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Arenaeus mexicanus (Gerstaecker, 1856)

cangrajo nadador reticulado, Reticulated swimming crab

Caparace width between long lateral spines to 90 mm.

Littoral on sandy beachs.

Taxonomy

Domain
Eukaryota

Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum
Arthropoda

Class
Malacostraca

Order
Decapoda

Suborder
Pleocyemata

Superfamily
Portunoidea

Family
Portunidae

Genus
Arenaeus

Species
mexicanus

Taxon category: Accepted

Syn.: Arenaeus bidens Smith, 1869, Euctenota mexicanus Gerstaecker, 1856, fide Appeltans et al. (2010)

Origin: Native

Status

IUCN Red List Category: Not evaluated

Distribution

Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.

Distribution: Baja California, Mexico to Peru, Cocos Island and Ecuador (Galapagos Islands)

References

  • Hickman, C.P. Jr. Zimmerman, T.L. (2000) A Field Guide to Crustaceans of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 156 pp.
  • Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
  • IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.

You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.

This page should be cited as follows:

"Galapagos Species Database, Arenaeus mexicanus", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=8496. Accessed 16 July 2025.