About Tiomanium indicum (H.Milne Edwards, 1837)
Tiomanium indicum, commonly called the Tioman crab or white clawed mangrove crab, is a species of crab belonging to the family Sesarmidae. Its range spans the western and central Indo-Pacific Ocean, with confirmed populations found in Singapore, Malaysia, Queensland (Australia), the Philippines, and New Guinea. This crab is supralittoral, meaning it lives in habitats located above the high tide line. In the Cairns region of Australia, populations of this species are known to move in large numbers during certain seasons, and will frequently enter local backyards and homes. This species was first formally described in 1837 by H. Milne Edwards, under the original scientific name Sesarma indicum. It was later moved to the new genus Tiomanium, which was originally published under the name Tiomanum, by Serene and Soh. The species has a convex carapace that reaches 34 mm in length. The key morphological traits that distinguish the genus Tiomanium from the related genus Neosarmatium are a spine at the end of the upper inner margin of the cheliped palm, and an additional spine located on the upper inner angle of the carpus.
