Distribution: Abundant in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. Distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. In Australia recorded from northern Western Australia and Queensland south to northern New South Wales.

Ecological Notes: Frequents crevices and caves in rocky and coral reef. Specimen pictured below at depth of 20 m.

Additional Notes: Body red, white band separating carapace from abdomen, red legs with white stripes. Often in large aggregations and may be involved in cleaning dead skin and detritus from fishes and eels. Dominant males develop a larger pair of first legs, or chelipeds, as in top photograph. Grows to around 40 mm.

References: Reef Creature Identification, Tropical Pacific. Paul Humann, Ned DeLoach, New World Publications Inc, Jacksonville, Florida, USA, 2012 edition. p.141.

Atlas of Living Australia website at https://bie.ala.org.au/search?q=Rhynchocinetes+durbanensis. Accessed 14/11/2018.