Enkougani (Monkey Crab) - Enkougani (English name) Carcinoplax longimana

Japanese: エンコウガニ(猿猴蟹) - エンコウガニ（英語表記）Carcinoplax longimana

This crab belongs to the family Entomodae and can reach a carapace width of 6.5 cm (illustration). It is found on fine sandy and muddy bottoms at depths of 30 to 100 m from southern Hokkaido to Kyushu, and has also been recorded from the East China Sea, South China Sea, Bay of Bengal, and off the coast of South Africa. This beautiful crimson-red species has a smooth, ceramic-like luster on its carapace. The carapace is rounded and rectangular, with no clear features except for a shallow groove separating the stomach region from the heart region. Juvenile individuals have two sharp teeth on the anterior edge of the carapace, but the tips become rounded as they grow, and when they become older, they are completely worn away and only have a weak arch.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

甲殻綱エンコウガニ科のカニで，甲幅6.5cmに達する（イラスト）。北海道南部から九州の水深30～100mの細砂泥底に分布するほか，東シナ海，南シナ海，ベンガル湾，南アフリカ沖からも記録されている。紅赤色の美しい種で，甲面は滑らかな陶器様の光沢がある。甲は丸みを帯びた四角形で，胃域と心域を分ける浅い溝以外は不明りょうである。幼若個体では甲の前側縁に鋭くとがった2本の歯があるが，成長とともに先端は丸くなり，老成すると完全に磨滅して弱く弧を描くだけとなる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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