Summary

Atergatis floridus, also known as the floral egg crab or the shawl crab is a species within the mud crab group that is found in many areas around the world (see more on Biogeographic Distribution). The physical appearance is a form of a typical smooth oval mudcrab as shown in figure 1 (seemore on Physical Description). The individuals found and experimented were from the Moreton Bay region in Queensland, Australia. Atergatis floridus is a type of crab that has a toxin called the tetrodotoxin which is a neurotoxin also found in pufferfish and some newts and toads (see more on Anatomy & Physiology). These crabs are commonly found, yet not much previous research has been done to understand their life cycles and behaviour, therefore a small experiment was undertaken with regards to preference of habitat (see more on Life History & Behaviour).

Figure 1. The dorsalview of the crab Atergatis floridus.