Homalaspis

Homalaspis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Platyxanthidae
Genus: Homalaspis
A. Milne-Edwards, 1863
Species:
H. plana
Binomial name
Homalaspis plana
Synonyms
  • Xantho planus H. Milne Edwards, 1834
  • Gecarcinus regius Poeppig, 1836

Homalaspis is a genus of crabs in the family Platyxanthidae. It is monotypic, the sole species being Homalaspis plana, also known as the purple stone crab or Chilean stone crab.

Homalaspis plana occurs in the East Pacific from the Galápagos Archipelago to southern Patagonia. There is a single record from the west coast of South Africa, likely resulting from shipping or aquaculture imports.

Homalaspis plana lives in the intertidal zone and down to 272 m (892 ft). It is a commercially valuable species.

References

  1. ↑ "Homalaspis plana (H. Milne Edwards, 1834". DecaNet. World Register of Marine Species. 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  2. ↑ "Homalaspis A. Milne-Edwards, 1863". DecaNet. World Register of Marine Species. 2025. Retrieved 12 December 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 Haye, Pilar A.; Muñoz-Herrera, Natalia C.; Segovia, Nicolás I. (2026). "Limited genetic diversity across a broadly connected range in the fished purple stone crab Homalaspis plana". Global Ecology and Conservation. 65 e04015. doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e04015.
  4. 1 2 Peters, Koebraa; Robinson, Tamara (2018). "From Chile to the South African west coast: first reports of the Chilean stone crab Homalaspis plana (H. Milne Edwards, 1834) and the South American sunstar Heliaster helianthus (Lamarck, 1816) outside their natural ranges". BioInvasions Records. 7 (4): 421–426. doi:10.3391/bir.2018.7.4.11. hdl:10019.1/111616.