On the misidentification of a common sandy beach crab belonging to the genus Ovalipes Rathbun, 1898

Abstract

The three-spot swimming crab, a common intertidal resident of sandy beaches in southern Africa, has previously been misidentified as Ovalipes punctatus (De Haan, 1833). Inspection of local specimens indicates that the valid name for this species is O. trimaculatus (De Haan, 1833).