Dans sa publication originale, l'auteur indique que cette famille regroupe des crabes terrestres (true-land crabs) et précise que leur carapace est arrondie de manière à contenir suffisamment d'eau pour que l'animal puisse parcourir de grandes distances.
Publication originale
Macleay, 1838: On the brachyurous decapod Crustacea brought from the Cape by Dr. Smith. Illustrations of the Annulosa of South Africa; being a portion of the objects of natural history chiefly collected during an expedition into the interior of South Africa, under the direction of Dr. Andrew Smith, in the years 1834, 1835. and 1836; fitted out by “The Cape of Good Hope Association for Exploring Central Africa”. vol.5, pp.53–71 (texte intégral) (en).
Bibliographie
Ng, Guinot & Davie, 2008: Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant brachyuran crabs of the world. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology Supplement, n. 17 p.1–286.