Ranina ranina

Ranina ranina is a large marine crab in the family Raninidae, native to the Indo-Pacific. Its flattened, oval body and long claws give it the common name spanner crab.

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Raninidae: Raninidae is a family of crabs with elongated, often flattened bodies adapted to life on sandy or muddy seabeds. This is the family that contains Ranina ranina.
Spanner crab fishery: The spanner crab fishery harvests Ranina ranina for its meat, primarily using baited traps on sandy seabeds. Commercial harvest is the main direct human use of the species.
Indo-Pacific: The Indo-Pacific is the marine region spanning the tropical and subtropical Indian and western-central Pacific oceans. This broad region contains the species' native range.
Portunidae: Portunidae is a crab family that includes swimming crabs, many of which have flattened, paddle-shaped rear legs. Unlike these swimming crabs, the spanner crab has no paddle-like rear legs and is adapted to the seabed.
Brachyura: Brachyura is the crab infraorder, distinguished by a short abdomen folded beneath the thorax. It places the spanner crab within the broader group of true crabs.
Queensland spanner crab fishery: The Queensland spanner crab fishery is a managed Australian fishery targeting Ranina ranina along the state's east coast. Queensland is a major center of the species' commercial harvest.
Great Barrier Reef: The Great Barrier Reef is a vast coral reef system off northeastern Australia, containing diverse marine habitats. Spanner crabs occur in waters of the reef region, including nearby sandy seabeds.
Blue swimmer crab: The blue swimmer crab, Portunus armatus, is a mobile Indo-Pacific crab with paddle-shaped hind legs. It shares a broad regional range and fishery significance but is built for swimming.
Decapoda: Decapoda is an order of crustaceans with five pairs of thoracic legs, including crabs, lobsters, and shrimp. The spanner crab belongs to this diverse crustacean order.
Crab trap: A crab trap is a baited device designed to catch crabs while allowing some non-target animals to escape. Baited traps are used to capture spanner crabs on the seabed.