About Neosarmatium australiense Ragionieri, Fratini & Schubart, 2012
Neosarmatium australiense is a species of mangrove crab belonging to the family Sesarmidae. It is distributed in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, ranging from the Gulf of Carpentaria to the Kimberley coast, and it is the only member of the genus Neosarmatium found in this area. This species is known for moving to the coast in large groups after heavy rains that follow the northern dry season. The holotype specimen of N. australiense measures 39 mm by 35 mm (or 1.5 inches by 1.4 inches). Each side of the crab's carapace has one notch. There are two distinct colour morphs of this species, both found in north-western Australia. One morph has red-orange chelipeds, with the claw fingers turning yellow at their tips; the other morph has pale, dirty yellow claw fingers. Before 2012, N. australiense was classified as part of the species N. meinerti. That year, a genetic study supplemented by analysis of physical characteristics confirmed that what was previously considered N. meinerti actually consists of four separate species.
