About Davusia glabra (Dana, 1851)
Davusia glabra is commonly known as the shiny bait crab, Sowrie crab, or Sourie crab, and it is the only crab species in the genus Davusia. This species inhabits rocky ocean shores along Australia's eastern coast, ranging from southern Queensland to Victoria, where it lives around the low tide zone in crevices, rock pools, and on rock platforms. Different sources report different southern limits for its distribution: some note the crab's habitat extends from Queensland to the New South Wales-Victorian border, while others state it can be found as far south as Wilson's Promontory in southern Victoria. The carapace of Davusia glabra is grey to fawn in color, marked with very small green spots that give the species an overall greenish appearance. The carapace measures around 30 to 40 millimeters across, is smooth and hairless, slightly wider than it is long, and has 3 distinct spines along each edge. Plagusia glabra is a synonym of Davusia glabra. In 2007, this species was moved into the newly created genus Davusia because it has morphological differences from other species originally placed in the genus Plagusia.
