Just a small piece of this crab can be deadly for an adult!
Floral Egg Crab, Green Egg Crab, or Shawl Crab, scientifically known as Atergatis floridus, is a species of crab primarily found in the tropical waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and belongs to the family Xanthidae.
The Floral Egg Crab has a relatively narrow oval shape, with a smooth surface and clean edges. They possess large, equally sized claws that are smooth with black spoon-shaped tips. Males are generally larger than females, with their claws being proportionately smaller.
Image of an adult Floral Egg Crab.
The juvenile Floral Egg Crab has an adorable appearance that immediately reminds many of the Dorayaki pancakes often featured in the popular manga series, Doraemon.
However, the meat of this species is toxic, and even when cooked, the toxins remain intact and can lead to death. These toxins are produced by Vibrio bacteria that live symbiotically with the crab, containing similar toxins found in pufferfish, such as tetrodotoxin, as well as saxitoxin, which is the primary toxin related to shellfish poisoning.
The Floral Egg Crab can be found in the eastern Indian Ocean, from Southeast Asia down to Australia, reaching Rottnest Island in Western Australia and possibly Sydney in the east, with their distribution extending eastward across the western Pacific all the way to Hawaii.
Juvenile Floral Egg Crab resembling the pancake Doraemon loves.
In Vietnam, they are often found living in shallow coral reefs around the central islands.
The Floral Egg Crab typically resides in shallow waters with slopes, where coral and rubble are present. They are mainly nocturnal.
