elophila tinealis is a moth in the crambidae family .

it was described by munroe in 1972 .

it is found in north america , where it has been recorded from michigan , ontario and new york , south to florida and west to texas .

the habitat consists of swamps and wet woods .

the wingspan is about 10 mm .

both the fore - and hindwings are dark brown to blackish with a silvery-white patch in the medial area and some white dots .

adults have been recorded on wing from july to september .

the larvae feed on lemna species .

elophila tinealis

elophila tinealis <EOT> species elophila tinealis - black duckweed moth - hodges # 4754 - bugguide . net

three other species of elophila occur in the united states with one , elophila tinealis munroe , in florida . the adult of elophila tinealis is much smaller than that of the waterlily leafcutter and has longer , narrower and darker wings . the larvae of elophila tinealis are not well known , but seem to feed on and most often make their cases out of duckweed , lemna sp .

the larvae of elophila gyralis ( hulst ) and elophila icciusalis ( walker ) are similar to those of the waterlily leafcutter , but the anterior and posterior transverse bands of crochets ( i . e . , the gripping hooks on the prolegs ) are the same size . elophila gyralis and elophila icciusalis adults are more brightly colored than elophila tinealis and elophila obliteralis and are yellowish - orange and white or brownish in color . although elophila gyralis and elophila icciusalis larvae may make portable cases , they usually cut only one leaf piece and attach it to a whole leaf and live between the two layers .

kinser , p . d . , neunzig , h . h . , 1981 . description of the immature stages and biology of synclita tinealis lepidoptera pyralidae nymphulanae . journal of the lepidopterists ' society , 35 ( 2 ) : 137

elophila obliteralis has a wide host range and is known to feed on nearly 60 plant species ( table 1 ) .

figure 5 . pupa of the waterlily leafcutter , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) . photograph by stephen p . l . luk .

figure 6 . adult female waterlily leafcutter , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) . photograph by j . lotz , division of plant industry .

figure 3 . waterlily leafcutter , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) , leaf case . photograph by lyle j . buss , university of florida .

table 1 . host range of the waterlily leafcutter . plants arranged by families and genera that are known to be hosts for elophila obliteralis ( walker ) .

figure 2 . larva of the waterlily leafcutter , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) , attacking hygrophila . photograph by j . p . cuda , university of florida .

figure 1 . hygrophila showing feeding damage caused by the waterlily leafcutter , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) . photograph by j . p . cuda , university of florida .

figure 4 . larva of the waterlily leafcutter , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) , with opened leaf case . photograph by lyle j . buss , university of florida .

figure 7 . adult male waterlily leafcutter , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) . wingspan of this specimen is 11 mm . photograph by lyle j . buss , university of florida .

genus synclita changed to elophila as per hugh mcguinness 8 / 2009 . source : munroessa was synonymized , along with synclita , by goater , nuss and speidel in microlepidoptera of europe , vol . 4 . pyraloidea i . 2005 .

in october 2007 , we received a report from researchers at the uf / ifas center for aquatic and invasive plants of an insect attacking hygrophila . samples of the insect were collected and it was identified as the waterlily leafcutter elophila obliteralis ( walker ) . of the more than twenty acentropinae species occurring in florida , elophila obliteralis ( walker ) is the most common . although its common name implies that it is a pest of waterlilies , it actually has a wide host range . most of the damage caused by the larvae usually is superficial and rarely endangers the plant , but the damage observed on the hygrophila plants was severe ( figures 1 and 2 ) .

a study that attempted to identify the biotic and abiotic factors that limited growth of common salvinia , salvinia minima ( baker ) , an exotic floating aquatic plant , found that herbivory by elophila obliteralis and a weevil , cyrtobagous salviniae calder and sands were two of the most influential factors on growth ( tipping et al . 2012 ) .

in addition to the invasive aquatic weed hygrophila , the waterlily leafcutter also feeds on another invasive plant , hydrilla , hydrilla verticillata l . f . royle . numbers of elophila obliteralis collected from hydrilla from field sites in florida and louisiana were similar to the numbers of the hydrilla leafcutter , parapoynx diminutalis snellen that were collected ( balciunas and minno 1985 ) .

this common moth occurs throughout florida , westward to texas and northward to western nova scotia and southern manitoba ( munroe 1972 ) . it also has been introduced into hawaii ( williams 1944 ) , england ( shaffer 1968 ) , and british columbia ( munroe 1972 ) . in a study in south carolina , elophila obliteralis was found in both lentic ( still freshwater ) and lotic ( fast moving freshwater ) water bodies ( stoops et al . 1998 ) . out of 65 surveyed sites in south carolina , elophila obliteralis was present in 6 . 2 % , in those sites with a water temperature between 23 . 0 and 27 . 0°c , a width of 3 . 24 to 45 . 7 m , a depth of 0 . 3 - 1 . 0 m , and a ph of 6 . 6 to 7 . 5 ( stoops et al . 1998 ) .

in addition to having a pest status in aquatic nurseries , due to its wide host range , elophila obliteralis also plays a minor role in biological control , as it feeds on invasive species , such as hydrilla , salvinia and hygrophila . as a native species this type of biological control is known as natural regulation . however , due to the extensive host range of this species it would not be advisable to attempt to increase wild numbers through mass releases or conservation as they would likely feed non - specifically on other desirable plants as well as the weeds .

elophila obliteralis has a wide host range and is known to feed on waterlilys and other ornamental pond plants as well as the invasive aquatic weeds , salvinia ( tipping et al . 2012 ) , water lettuce ( dray et al . 1993 ) , hygrophila and hydrilla . the larvae are the stage that feeds on the plant and causes damage to the plant tissue . in addition to feeding , the larvae cut the leaves to prepare a leaf case for shelter . as the larvae develop , they cut new , progressively larger leaf cases . this action in itself can provide quite significant damage to the infested plant ( nachtrieb et al 2007 ) . in a field study , to compare the effect of herbivory on different aquatic plants , elophila obliteralis was one of the three species that caused the most damage ( nachtrieb et al 2007 ) . when feeding the larvae remove chunks from the leaves , usually feeding on the basal or middle portions ( balciunas and minno 1985 ) . this feeding often causes the leaves to break away from the stem . if the population density is high and plant material becomes more scarce , the larvae will begin to feed on the stems , which can cause the entire plant to fragment ( balciunas and minno 1985 ) .

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the moths of north america north of mexico . fascicle 13 . 1a . scopariinae , nymphulinae eugene munroe . 1972 . the wedge entomological research foundation .

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hygrophila polysperma ( roxb . ) t . anderson ( polemoniales : acanthaceae ) is a rooted submersed or emersed aquatic plant in shallow water areas and saturated shorelines throughout florida . this invasive aquatic plant also is known as hygrophila , hygro , east indian hygro , green hygro , miramar weed , oriental ludwigia , and indian swampweed ( hereafter referred to as hygrophila ) .

hygrophila is a federal listed noxious weed ( usda 1983 ) , a florida state listed category ii prohibited plant ( fldep 1993 ) , and a florida exotic pest plant council category i invasive species ( fleppc 2017 ) . the submersed growth habit displaces native vegetation in many canals and drainage ditches in south florida . the plant forms dense stands that occupy the entire water column , clogging irrigation and flood - control systems ( schmitz and nall 1984 , sutton 1995 ) and interfering with navigation ( woolfe 1995 ) . hygrophila also creates problems as an emergent plant in some shoreline areas , including rice fields ( krombholz 1996 ) .

eggs : the eggs are whitish in color , and appear domelike ( oval and flattened ) . the flattened side is glued to the leaf and the domed side has wrinkles down the length of the egg ( dyar 1906 ) . the eggs are 0 . 6 mm in length and 0 . 4 mm wide ( dyar 1906 ) . they are deposited singly or in overlapping , ribbon - like masses near the edges of submersed leaf surfaces .

larvae : most members of the crambid subfamily acentropinae have aquatic larvae with tracheal gills . however , the larva of this moth lacks gills , and is sometimes referred to as " the sandwich man " due to its habit of living between two pieces of leaf ( leaf case ) that it cuts from its host plant ( figure 3 and 4 ) .

the epidermis ( skin ) of the larvae is covered with minute papillae ( bumps ) . the body is creamy - white , but increasingly brownish from abdominal segment four forward to the prothorax . the prothoracic coxae ( proximal leg segments ) are touching while the mesothoracic coxae are nearly touching . the head is yellowish - brown with a faint brown genal ( cheek ) stripe . the prothoracic spiracle ( respiratory opening ) is vestigial ( non - functioning ) , and the while spiracles on abdominal segments three and four are distinctly larger than others . the crochets ( gripping hooks ) are arranged in two biordinal ( sometimes partially triordinal ) transverse bands , with the anterior band distinctly larger than the posterior band .

pupae : the pupae are pale yellow and the wings and head appear darker ( figure 5 ) ( dyar 1906 ) . the head has two distinct black spine - like hairs . the spiracles on abdominal segments 2 - 4 are large , round , elevated and red brown in color ( dyar 1906 ) . the anterior spiracles are much smaller . the pupae are found inside silk cocoons within the leaf cases formed by the larvae .

adults : adults are sexually dimorphic and readily distinguishable ( figures 6 and 7 ) . females have a 15 to 19 mm wingspan , and the female ' s wings are paler in color appearing grayish - brown with orange - brown markings . the wingspan of the male is only about 11 to 13 mm , and the male ' s wings are grayish - brown interspersed with brownish and white markings .

no information is available about the development times of this species . the female moth lays her eggs on the exposed edges of submersed aquatic plants ( gill et al . 2008 ) . upon hatching , the larvae enclose themselves inside cut leaf pieces . the leaves are webbed together with silk . cases made by young larvae are water - filled and oxygen uptake occurs cutaneously ( presumably via the epidermal papillae ) whereas cases of older larvae are air - filled . the cases of young larvae remain attached to the leaf from which they were made . older larvae detach the case from the leaf and are free - floating . larvae abandon smaller cases as they mature and construct larger cases from new leaves . the case may consist of two entire leaves , parts of leaves , or of parts of many plants tied together with silk . the larvae extend out of the case to feed on plant material , but usually the body remains in the case . prior to pupation , larvae attach their cases to petioles or leaf blades of their host plants above or below the water surface , and spin a silk cocoon inside their leaf cases .

due to its broad host range , this insect frequently is a pest in aquatic plant nurseries , especially on waterlilies , nymphaea spp . in the nursery setting , this insect can cause economic losses as the larval feeding makes the plants unattractive to customers . extensive feeding may even lead to reduced plant health and death ( gill et al . 2008 ) .

to monitor for the waterlily leafcutter , observe leaves for the characteristic holes created by this insect ( gill et al . 2008 ) . the adults can be trapped by uv black lights and the larvae can be extracted from the plant material by handpicking or using a berlese funnel .

is a pest of greenhouses and may require control in aquatic plant nurseries . as with other aquatic moth pests ,

would likely provide control with little or no adverse effects to other aquatic organisms . in support of this hypothesis , the closely related organism

was found to cause significant mortality to the waterlily leafcutter ( haag and buckingham 1991 ) .

the authors would like to acknowledge funding provided by the usda nifa ramp grant 2010 - 02825 that helped pay for the revision of this article .

[ fldep ] florida department of enviromental protection . ( 1993 ) . aquatic plant permit rules : aquatic plant importation , transportation , non - nursery cultivation , possession and collection . ( 25 july 2017 ) .

[ fleppc ] florida exotic pest plant council . ( 2007 ) . list of florida ' s invasive species . florida exotic pest plant council . ( 7 may 2014 ) .

balciunas jk , minno mc . 1985 . insects damaging hydrilla in the u . s . a . journal of aquatic plant management 23 : 77 - 83 .

dray fa , center td , habeck dh . 1993 . phytophagous insects associated with pistia statiotes in florida . environmental entomology 22 : 1146 - 1155 .

dyar hg . 1906 . the north american nymphulinae and scopariinae . journal of the new york entomological society 14 : 77 - 108 .

gill s , reeser , r , raupp , m . 2008 . controlling two aquatic plant pests nymphuliella daeckealis ( haimbach ) and the waterlily leafcutter , synclita obliteralis ( walker ) . the university of maryland cooperative extension factsheet 818 . 7 pages .

[ fleppc ] florida exotic pest plant council . ( 2017 ) . list of florida ' s invasive species . florida exotic pest plant council ( 25 june 2017 ) .

haag kh and buckingham gr . 1991 . effects of herbicides and microbial insecticides on the insects of aquatic plants . journal of aquatic plant management 29 : 55 - 57 .

krombholz p . 1996 . hygrophila polysperma : an indicator plant . the aquatic gardener : journal of the aquatic gardeners association 9 : 135 - 137 .

munroe e . 1972 . fasicle 13 . 1a : pyraloidea : pyralidae ( part ) . the moths of america north of mexico ( mona ) series ( dominick rb et al . [ eds ] ) . ew classey ltd and r . b . d . publications inc . , london , uk . 134 pages .

nachtrieb jg , grodowitz mj , smart rm . 2007 . impact of invertebrate herbivory on native aquatic macrophytes . aquatic plant control research program technical notes collection . vicksburg , ms : u . s . army engineer research and development center . erdc / tn apcrp - bc - 9 . ( 25 june 2017 ) .

schmitz dc , nall le . 1984 . status of hygrophila polysperma in florida . aquatics 6 : 11 - 14 .

schmitz dc , nelson bv , nall je , schardt jd . 1991 . exotic aquatic plants in florida : a historical perspective and review of the present aquatic plant regulation program . pp . 303 - 326 . in center tc , doren rf , hofstetter rl , myers rl , whiteaker ld ( eds ) , proceedings of a symposium on exotic pest plants . technical report nps / nrever / nrtr - 91 / 06 . u . s . department of interior , national park service , denver , co .

shaffer m . 1968 . illustrated notes on synclita obliteralis ( walker ) and euzophora bigella ( zeller ) , two species new to the british list ( lepidoptera : pyralidae ) . entomologist ' s gazette 19 : 155 - 158 .

stoops ca , adler ph , mccreadie jw . 1998 . ecology of aquatic lepidoptera ( crambidae : nymphulinae ) in south carolina , usa . hydrobiologia 379 : 33 - 40 .

sutton dl . 1995 . hygrophila is replacing hydrilla in south florida . aquatics 17 : 4 , 6 , 8 , 10 .

tipping pw , martin mr , bauer l , pierce rm , center td . 2012 . ecology of common salvinia , salvinia minima baker , in southern florida . aquatic botany 102 : 23 - 27 .

williams fx . 1944 . biological studies in hawaiian water - loving insects . part iv . lepidoptera or moths and butterflies . proceedings of the hawaiian entomological society 12 : 180 - 185 .

woolfe t . 1995 . water weed is latest menace . tallahassee democrat , 4c , 3 august .

[ usda ] u . s . department of agriculture . 1983 . noxious weeds . federal register . 48 : 20037 - 20047 .

zimmerman ec . 1958 . volume 8 lepidoptera : pyraloidea . in insects of hawaii : a manual of the insects of the hawaiian islands including an enumeration of the species and notes on their origin , distribution , hosts , parasites , etc . university of hawaii press , honolulu . 456 pages .


ocypode convexa , commonly known as the golden ghost crab , or alternatively the western ghost crab or yellow ghost crab , is a species of ghost crabs endemic to the coast of western australia , from broome to perth .

they are relatively large ghost crabs , with a carapace growing up to 45 mm ( 1.8 in ) long and 52 mm ( 2.0 in ) wide .

they are easily recognisable by their golden yellow colouration .

like other ghost crabs they have box-like bodies with unequally sized claws .

they also have large eyestalks with the cornea occupying most of the bottom part .

golden ghost crabs are common inhabitants of open sandy beaches , living in burrows in the intertidal and supratidal zones .

they are predominantly nocturnal and semi-terrestrial .

they are a generalist species , feeding on carrion and debris , as well as preying on small animals .

along with the red fox ( vulpes vulpes ) , they are significant as one of the main predators of eggs and hatchlings of western australian sea turtles , particularly the endangered loggerhead sea turtle ( caretta caretta ) which has one of the largest rookeries in the region .

golden ghost crab

golden ghost crab <EOT> crab ocypodidae ghost crab st . croix fauna usvi beach sand nature caribbean animals my photography

these things are cool ! is it possible to spot a ghost crab in maine ? i’ve never heard of these types of crabs . would a ghost crab pinch like an ordinary crab ? thanks .

turra a , goncalves mao , denadai mr . spatial distribution of the ghost crab

chan bkk , chan kky , leung pcm . burrow architecture of the ghost crab

embed this arkive thumbnail link ( " portlet " ) by copying and pasting the code below . < a href = " urltoken " title = " arkive video - silver gull stealing food from golden ghost crab " > < img src = " urltoken " alt = " arkive video - silver gull stealing food from golden ghost crab " title = " arkive video - silver gull stealing food from golden ghost crab " border = " 0 " / > < / a >

ghost crab burrows can be found from the high tide line to 400 m shoreward .

" horn - eyed ghost crab ocypode ceratophthalma " . wild singapore . may 2009 .

want to know how these crabs look like ? here are some useful ghost crab pics . check out these ghost crab photos to get an idea about the appearance of these creatures .

cycling in the ghost crab , ocypode quadrata ( fabr . ) ( brachyura , ocypodidae )

ghost crabs are so named for their generally pale colours and nocturnal habits as well as their eerie ability to suddenly appear from seemingly nowhere and disappear back into the sand as they dart to and from burrows . there are six species of ghost crab in australia , four of which can be found on mainland western australia . probably the two most notable species are the horn - eyed ghost crab , ocypode ceratophthalma ( pallas , 1772 ) and the golden ghost crab , ocypode convexa ( quoy & gaimard , 1824 ) . the horn - eyed ghost crab is widely distributed in the indian and pacific oceans , and is most easily recognised by the long stylets on top of the eyes . these stylets are longer in mature males and are probably used as part of mating rituals and displays for warding off rival males . the golden ghost crab is endemic to western australia and recognisable by its golden yellow colour . ghost crabs are typically tropical , but the golden ghost crab can be found as far south as bunbury .

also known as the western ghost crab or yellow ghost crab , the golden ghost crab is a species of ghost crab ( ocypode spp . ) which is endemic to the coast of western australia , ranging from broome to perth . golden ghost crabs are common inhabitants of open sandy beaches , living in burrows in the intertidal and supratidal zones . they are predominately nocturnal and semi - terrestrial , emerging are night to feed on carrion , debris , and occasionally small invertebrates . they are also known to feed on sea turtle hatchlings and are one of the main predators of loggerhead sea turtle eggs and hatchlings .

industry standard king crab packs contain 1 . 5 pounds of " broken " crab per 20lb . box

gtcp researchers 2010 / 11 noticed a quite unusual specimen of golden ghost crab ( ocypode convexa ) in the monitored gnaraloo rookery at the end of november 2010 . golden ghost crabs ( ocypode convexa ) are found frequently along gnaraloo beaches and have a very distinct yellow colour . however , the individual spotted had an unusual pattern of red colouration .

this animal is also known as “sand crab” or “white crab” . these are also known as “mole crabs” .

studies have shown the density of ghost crab harvesting to be around 3000 - 5000 every km every year .

studies on the ecology and behaviour of the ghost crab , ocypode cursor ( l . ) in northen cyprus

in russia , king crab have been historically overfished and area closures have not been effective in the face of continued illegal , unreported and unregulated fishing . seafood watch warned that russia’s commercially important crab stocks , which include golden king crab , have the potential to collapse .

olden king crab is the smallest of the alaskan king crab species and is found mostly in the aleutian islands .

buyer beware : russian king crab is sometimes mislabeled as “alaska king crab” and sold in the u . s .

—model 4a ) . a gaussian model best described the relationship between ghost crab density and beach width ( f = 4 . 65 , p = 0 . 030 ) , with ghost crab density peaking at beaches of intermediate width (

] and may underlie an increased contribution of alternate or supplemental prey ( i . e . amphipods ) to the ghost crab diet .

strachan ph , smith rc , hamilton dab , talylor ac , atkinson rja . studies on the ecology and behaviour of the ghost crab ,

knott , d . 2010 . " atlantic ghost crab : ocypode quadrata " ( on - line ) . accessed june 06 , 2011 at urltoken .

the recreational fishery for all rock crab species , including rock crab ( cancer antennarius ) , yellow crab ( cancer anthonyi ) and red crab ( cancer productus ) is open statewide , year - round . the daily bag limit is 35 crab , and the minimum size limit is 4 inches . review crabbing regulations that went into effect on august 1 , 2016 , crab measurement methods ( pdf ) , and other crabbing regulations in the current saltwater sport fishing regulations booklet .

haley sr . cycling in the ghost crab , ocypode quadrata ( fabr . ) ( brachyura , ocypodidae ) . crustaceana . 1972 ; 23 : 1–11 .

small beach crab , about 2 inches across , yellow coloration . very shy !

petrochirus diogenes ( caribbean hermit crab ) for the cynic philosopher diogenes of sinope .

most king crab is delivered live to shore - based processors and cooked while live and then brine frozen ; some king crab is processed on board catcher processors .

morrow k , bell ss , tewfik a . variation in ghost crab trophic links on sandy beaches . mar ecol prog ser . 2014 ; 502 : 197–206 .

glaze for king crab should be 3 - 5 % so it’s recommended that periodic glaze tests be done on crab legs to make sure you’re not paying for water .

steiner aj , leatherman sp . recreational impacts on the distribution of ghost crabs (

recreational impacts on the distribution of ghost crabs ( ocypode quadrata , fab . )

j . w . pepper says it a number of times in " the man with the golden gun " while speaking to some asians in bangkok .

mitchell , p . 2007 . " ghost crab : hungry nocturnal ghosties " ( on - line ) . mitchells publications . accessed june 06 , 2011 at urltoken .

i am a park ranger in florida . i will be doing a ranger program on ghost crabs soon . a couple of pics of the ghost crab fossils would be great to add to the program ! thank you ! hope you see this comment .

king crabs are found in the north pacific ocean and primarily fished in alaska and russia . they are relatively slow to mature , making them vulnerable to fishing pressure . a 2015 assessment of aleutian islands golden king crab indicated that the stock is healthy and the crab are being fished at a sustainable level , according to seafood watch .

the eyes of ghost crabs allow 360˚ vision because they are positioned on mobile stalks .

use clams and oysters or even old vegetables and fish to your crab . repetition in diet can tire your crabs and make their survival difficult . try to find out which foods your crab like . feed that often to your crab and also balance it with other foods .

shields , j . 1998 . " the ghost crab , ocypode quadrata " ( on - line ) . virginia institute of marine science . accessed june 06 , 2011 at urltoken .

" another arthropod method of achieving all - round vision is to have eyes on mobile stalks , like the ghost crab . " ( foy and oxford scientific films 1982 : 124 )

jonathan p . green ( 1964 ) . " morphological color change in the hawaiian ghost crab ocypode ceratophthalma ( pallas ) " . the biological bulletin 126 ( 3 ) : 407–413 .

) . however a significant negative relationship between ghost crab tp and the proportion of coquina clams in their diets was recorded ( f = 6 . 43 , p = 0 . 024 ) (

hobbs ch , landry cb , perry je . assessing anthropogenic and natural impacts on ghost crabs (

king crab is sold as sections , claws , legs , and split legs bandsawed down the middle .

prey component coding as follows : coquina clam ( donax variablis ) white ; , amphipod ( talorchestia spp . ) grey ; , mole crab ( emerita talpoida ) black . ghost crab isotopic signatures were assessed from muscle tissue collections ( n = 3–7 crabs / site ) between may 2010 and july 2012 .

) . specifically , the proportion of mole crabs in ghost crab diets exhibited a significant ( f = 6 . 97 , p = 0 . 019 ) but negative linear trend with increasing beach width (

] and may help explain the strong patterns of highest ghost crab density being recorded on beaches of intermediate width reported here . however , despite these limitations , our study provides new details on diets and trophic position given our use of longer - term , integrated measures of ghost crab diets ( stable isotopes ) and a dynamic food web approach . this may better allow the relative “sampling efforts” of the ghost crabs themselves to reveal the most regular pattern of feeding across the diversity of habitat morphologies where they live [

because of their dark skin , which can blend into the night , making them ghost - like .

) in relation to beach width . the relationships between amphipods as a dietary component and ghost crab density with beach width were modeled using a gaussian distribution , y = [ - 0 . 5 ( ( x—x

golden king crab in the u . s . are managed by the national marine fisheries service and the north pacific fishery management council . in 2009 , alaska’s king crab derby fishery was replaced by a catch share system that incentivizes fishermen to fish more efficiently . management measures include stock assessments , harvest limits , gear restrictions , and observer coverage . management strategy implementation varies , though , so some stock data is limited . seafood watch called king crab management in alaska moderate to highly effective . in russia , illegal , unreported and unregulated fishing of crab is nearly twice the total allowable catch . citing 2014 research from the world wildlife fund , seafood watch noted poor enforcement , tracking , and recordkeeping in russia . while bilateral agreements between russia and major crab importers have reduced iuu fishing , it still remains so high for crab that the stocks are at risk of collapsing and seafood watch gave the russian far east commercially important crab fisheries a critical rating .

haley , s . r . 1969 . relative growth and sexual maturity of the texas ghost crab , ocypode quadrata ( fabricius ) ( brachyura , ocypodidae ) . crustaceana 17 : 285 - 297 . [ links ]

in malaysian myths , cancer was the “first and only crab” which existed long ago , the primal or mother crab from which all crabs came . it was a huge crustacean who lived in a deep hole in the sea . this hole was so large that the crab’s coming and goings from it would cause the ocean tides .

in alaska , pots targeting golden king crab can incidentally catch a range of fish and invertebrates including octopus , pacific cod , sponges , sea stars , and coral . however , overall bycatch is very low and the species caught are not of conservation concern , seafood watch reported in 2015 . management measures for u . s . king crab include restrictions on gear and fishing areas that reduce bycatch . pots are required to have minimum mesh size limits as well as degradable escape or timed release mechanisms to prevent ghost fishing .

greek & roman mythology cancer the crab was known by several names . in latin , the name cancer means crab . manilus and ovid both referred to this constellation as litoreus or “shore - inhabiting . ” in greece , it was karkinos , meaning crab . in the alfonsine tables , it was called carcinus , a latinized form of the greek word . aside from being known as a crab , it was also called asses and crib .

red king crab is the largest and most common species of the alaskan king crab species and accounts for 75 % of the alaska catch , with more than 90 % of that caught in bristol bay . alternatively , g

i’m originally from rhode island but currently living in central florida . i was sitting on the beach in cocoa and all of sudden i felt a tickle on my toe . i sit up to find a white and yellow crab at my feet . i was so shocked to see this crab so close to me and not to mention how this crab touched my toe . very interesting and beautiful crab . came on here to find more info .

…a species of ghost crab ( ocypodinae ) that is widely distributed across the eastern coasts of the americas , ranging from rhode island to southern brazil . like other ghost crabs o . quadrata typically inhabits sandy beaches where lives in burrows under the sand . atlantic ghost crabs are fairly opportunistic omnivores with their diet including items like bivalves , insects , plant material , detritus and sometimes other crustaceans . like the closely related fiddler crabs atlantic ghost crabs have two different sized claws , however this difference is not as pronounced as seen in fiddler crabs as ghost crabs uses noise ( either produced by “bubbling” , stridulation , or hitting their claw on the ground ) to attract potential mates .

here we explored whether diet and trophic position of a principal predator of sandy beaches—the atlantic ghost crab—living in an aquatic - terrestrial coupled system display a strong relationship to changes in habitat morphology created by a combination of physical parameters driven principally by beach width ( fig 1 ) . we a priori established a working model ( fig 2 ) that predicted the availability of prey resources and ghost crab dietary composition along a gradient of beach width and associated micro - habitats important to prey . over the 16 beaches examined , we found evidence to support the predicted relationships from the working model across the range of beach morphology . although most beaches contained populations of all three principal ghost crab prey , the variation in habitat conditions displayed with increasing beach width were accompanied by quantifiable shifts in ghost crab diet and trophic position . furthermore , the observed patterns of trophic position of ghost crabs suggest that these predators may augment diets of principal prey in fundamentally different ways along the continuum of beach sizes . below we discuss these findings in more detail .

the crab can move on the sand at about 10 miles per hour and is able to change is direction suddenly .

) , examples of dietary shifts were observed for atlantic ghost crabs as physical features of habitats varied along a gradient of increasing beach width . for most beaches , macroinfauna from swash zones composed a large proportion of ghost crab diets . as beach width increased , macrofaunal resource availability in the swash shifted from mole crabs to coquina clams . we observed the highest occurrence of mole crabs in ghost crab diets at narrow ( < 30 m ) beach sites best represented by fpic and pen . these narrow sites also have relatively steep swash zones and coarse sediments which are preferred by mole crabs [

] . ghost crabs from some narrow sites which supported high mole crab densities ( cc , ind ) did not display a high proportion of mole crabs in their diets perhaps indicative of reduced resource accessibility . specifically , ghost crabs are poor swimmers and may avoid some feeding areas if strong wave action is present . in contrast , the highest occurrence of coquina clam resources in ghost crab diets was recorded at wide ( > 50 m ) beach sites best represented by fper , org and aug , which hosted moderately - sized sediments and shallow slopes known to be preferred by coquina clams [

] . better documentation of ghost crab behavior and accessibility to resources , including the consumer’s ability to forage in strong wave surge , fine or densely - packed sediments and macrophyte wrack is desirable ; such information will improve our working model and help evaluate the assumption that ghost crabs have access to all food resources on every beach . additionally , investigations of ghost crab feeding in response to the presence of their own native ( herons , gulls , raccoons ) and introduced predators ( foxes , feral cats , dogs ) as well as competitors ( plovers , sandpipers , and turnstones ) may be informative [

ocypode ( ocypode ( ghost crab ) ) is prey of : rattus duscicyon crocethia alba charadriiformes conepatus larus belcheri larus pipixcan tropidurus based on studies in : peru ( coastal ) this list may not be complete but is based on published studies .

ocypode ( ocypode ( ghost crab ) ) preys on : diatoms in surface film aves emerita analoga excirolana diptera phaleria dermestes calliphora based on studies in : peru ( coastal ) this list may not be complete but is based on published studies .

scaptia ( plinthina ) beyonceae lessard 2011 ( horse fly ) named after singer - songwriter beyoncé knowles , inspired by her hit single " bootylicious " and the dense patch of golden hairs on the fly ' s abdomen .

be sure to check that the count is correct ; king crab are graded by the number of walking legs per 10 pounds . hence , a 20 - pound box of 9 / 12 count king crab should contain 18 - 24 walking legs .

it is omnivorous , meaning it feeds on both animals and plants . it can also devour other crabs and detritus . the creature feeds on snails , clams , turtle hatchlings , lizards and small crabs . ghost crab foods also include organic matter .

we propose a simple model of ghost crab feeding along a gradient of beach morphology ( fig 2 ) . we use beach width as our principal metric of habitat morphology as it best integrates a number of physical parameters of the sandy beach habitat where ghost crabs live including beach slope , median sediment grain size , and availability and quality of macrophyte wrack [ 43 , 55 , 56 ] . we predict that diet composition of ghost crabs will vary over beach width mainly reflecting prey availability as preferred micro - habitats and distinct feeding modes of each prey ( mole crab , coquina clam , amphipod ) vary as described earlier ( figs 1 and 2 ) . ghost crabs are highly mobile so prey accessibility is not considered to be a major factor in our working model . assuming constant mortality of ghost crabs over the gradient of resource availability we further anticipate that ghost crab population abundance will be elevated at intermediate beach width sites ( fig 2 ) . here both principal swash prey ( mole crab , coquina clam ) and elevated populations of semi - terrestrial amphipods , associated with localized deposition of suitable macrophyte wrack subsidies ( fig 1 ) , are all available for consumption allowing enhanced survival and growth of ghost crabs ( fig 2 ) . based on our model , the trophic position of ghost crabs is predicted to be similar across the range of beach widths . the main sources of the ghost crab diet are all primary consumers which often use macrophyte materials , particulate in the swash zone or as detritus in the wrackline , as their main source of nitrogen [ 33 , 47 ] . thus the trophic position of the predator should remain relatively unchanged regardless of what combination of the three principal prey are consumed . however , some degree of omnivory , scavenging of carrion or microphagous depositing feeding , may lead to altered trophic positions of ghost crabs [ 11 , 38 , 49 ] .

schlacher ta , w m . a . , schoeman ds , olds ad , huijbers cm , connolly rm . golden opportunities : a horizon scan to expand sandy beach ecology . estuar coast shelf s . 2015 ; 157 1–6 .

regardless of what the case is , the crab is awarded a place in the heavens as a constellation by hera . as the crab failed to kill hercules , it only has faint stars that make it up ; no bright stars are found within it .

zeta cancri – also known as tegmine , meaning “the shell of the crab” is a star system of at least four stars .

the eyestalks are tipped with a tuft of bristles ( setae ) . the eyestalks are held vertically when the crab is active .

the ghost crab is relatively small and , being almost translucent with flecks of pink and yellow , it is well camouflaged against the sand . if you manage to see one up close , you will notice its eyes are on the end of long stalks .

pombo m , turra a . issues to be considered in counting burrows as a measure of atlantic ghost crab populations , an important bioindicator of sandy beaches . plos one . 2013 ; 8 ( 12 ) : e83792 . wos : 000328882000113 . pmid : 24376748

all active ( i . e . , evidence of recent excavation ) ghost crab burrows within transects were enumerated during all six sampling periods at all sites , with the exception of sgsp and sgp ( april 2011 and july 2012 ) and ana , aug , av and fper ( july 2012 ) , to estimate ghost crab density ( # individuals / 100 m 2 ) . burrow density is considered a reasonable proxy of relative abundance across sites [ 37 , 56 ] despite any differences to absolute numbers [ 61 ] . ghost crabs were sampled after dusk using nets , placed on ice and stored at −4°c in the laboratory for isotopic analysis .

among all metrics of beach physical setting , only beach width was found to have a significant relationship with contribution of prey types to ghost crab diets . mean proportion of each of the three principal prey of ghost crabs , determined using stable isotopes and the siar mixing model ( fig 5 and s2 table ) , displayed significant relationships with beach width using a stepwise regression analysis . however , the nature of the relationship displayed between beach width and proportion of each principal prey in ghost crab diets differed ( fig 6 ) . specifically , the proportion of mole crabs in ghost crab diets exhibited a significant ( f = 6 . 97 , p = 0 . 019 ) but negative linear trend with increasing beach width ( table 1 —model 1 , fig 6a ) . a positive linear relationship between amphipod dietary proportion and physical beach parameters was also well described by beach width ( f = 5 . 61 , p = 0 . 033 ) ( table 1 —model 2a and fig 6b ) . the relationship remained significant ( f = 4 . 10 , p = 0 . 041 ) when a gaussian model was applied to the peaked pattern ( table 1 —model 2b and fig 6b ) . proportional contribution of coquina clams to ghost crab diets displayed a positive linear relationship with beach width ( f = 21 . 11 , p < 0 . 001 ) and this was the strongest relationship revealed in the stepwise regression analyses ( table 1 —model 3 and fig 6c ) . among other beach physical features , only sediment size indicated a marginal ( p = 0 . 091 ) contribution to the relationship with coquina clams ( table 1 —model 3 ) . additionally , attempts to describe the relationship between ghost crab density and physical parameters of the beach using a step - wise linear approach failed ( table 1 —model 4a ) . a gaussian model best described the relationship between ghost crab density and beach width ( f = 4 . 65 , p = 0 . 030 ) , with ghost crab density peaking at beaches of intermediate width ( table 1 —model 4b and fig 6d ) . again , no other metric of beach physical setting contributed significantly to pattern of ghost crab densities observed across beaches ( table 1 —model 4b ) .

( a ) mole crab ( emerita talpoida ) ; ( b ) amphipod ( talorchestia spp . ) ; and ( c ) coquina clam ( donax variablis ) , . ( d ) log 10 - transformed mean density of ghost crab ( o . quadrata ) in relation to beach width . the relationships between amphipods as a dietary component and ghost crab density with beach width were modeled using a gaussian distribution , y = [ - 0 . 5 ( ( x—x a ) / ( b ) ) 2 ] ( table 1 ) . regression coefficient ( r 2 ) and level of significance ( p - value ) are indicated for each relationship .

lucrezi s , schlacher ta . the ecology of ghost crabs in : hughes rn , hughes dj , smith ip , editors .

valero - pacheco e , alvarez f , abarca - arenas lg , escobar m . population density and activity pattern of the ghost crab , ocypode quadrata , in veracruz , mexico . crustaceana . 2007 ; 80 ( 3 ) : 313–25 . isi : 000246010000005 .

with increasing maturity , the crab begins to lose its external skeleton . it comes off at a point , only to be replaced by a new , slightly larger shell . the new shell takes some time to harden and until that happens , the crab remains vulnerable .

is one of the largest of the brachyuran crabs . metamorphosis into the first crab stage takes place at the surf - beach interface .

harryhausenia boyko , 2004 ( fossil sand crab ( crustacea : anomura : albuneidae ) ) for movie animator ray harryhausen ( 7th voyage of sinbad , jason and the argonauts , etc . ) . he animated a sand crab for the movie " the mysterious island . "

king crab is low in saturated fat and a good source of vitamin b12 , phosphorus , zinc , copper , and selenium . it

martin stevens , cheo pei rong , & peter a . todd ( 2013 ) . " colour change and camouflage in the horned ghost crab ocypode ceratophthalmus " . biological journal of the linnean society 109 : 257–270 . doi : 10 . 1111 / bij . 12039 .

the ghost crabs belong to the genus ocypode which translates as swift foot . an apt name for what is potentially one of the fastest animals on the planet , if you account for body size , of course . the horn - eyed ghost crab has been clocked at around 7 . 5 km / h . although that doesn’t sound like much , they are actually moving at 100 body lengths per second compared to the fastest human sprinters and the cheetah which can only reach speeds of 11 and 20 body lengths per second , respectively . so , if a ghost crab was of comparable size , they’d be running at something close to 340 and 530 km / h !

effigia okeeffeae nesbitt 2007 . ( archosaur ) from ghost ranch , new mexico , near where the artist georgia o ' keeffe lived .

relationship between : ( a ) ghost crab trophic position and beach width and b - d ) ghost crab trophic position and dietary proportion of three principal prey items ( s2 table ) . principal prey are : ( b ) mole crab , emerita talpoida ; ( c ) amphipod , talorchestia spp . ( data point for sgsp excluded from regression , see results and discussion ) ; and ( d ) coquina clam , donax variablis . the dietary component of e . talpoida was modeled using an exponential saturating hyperbola , y = a ( 1 - e - bx ) . regression coefficient ( r 2 ) and level of significance ( p - value ) are indicated for each relationship .

you will probably only catch a quick glimpse of this fast - moving crab as it races across the sand and disappears into a burrow .

has fleshy claws and legs with sweet , rich meat , and crab caught later in the year tends to have a higher meat fill .

neves , f . m . & c . e . bemvenuti . 2006 . the ghost crab ocypode quadrata ( fabricius , 1787 ) as a potential indicator of anthropic impact along rio grande do sul coast , brazil . biological conservation 133 : 432 - 435 . [ links ]

turra , a . ; m . a . o . gonçalves & m . r . denadai . 2005 . spatial distribution of the ghost crab ocypode quadrata in low - energy tide - dominated sandy beaches . journal of natural history 39 : 2163 - 2177 . [ links ]

basal resource isotopic signatures are for dominant forms ( sg = seagrass , th = thalassia testudinum , syr = syringodium filiforme , ma = macroalgae , sarg = sargassum sp . , two species indicates a mixture of sg materials within beach wrack ( see s1 table ) . halodule wrightii ( sg ) was not considered given its minor contribution to wrack ( see s1 table ) . % of gc diet = percent contribution to ghost crab ( gc ) diet . ghost crab ( ocypode quadrata ) major prey items ( principal resources ) : coquina clam ( donax variabilis ) , mole crab ( emerita talpoida ) , amphipod ( talorchestia spp . ) . ghost crab trophic position ( gc tp ) determined using the following equation : tp gc = [ ( δ 15 n gc − δ 15 n res ) / 2 . 3 ] + 2 , where δ 15 n gc represents the mean signature ( n = 3–9 indiv . ) of ghost crabs ; δ 15 n res represents the weighted mean signature of the three principal resources ; and 2 . 3 is one trophic level change in aquatic environments ( see methods for details ) .

ghost crabs are found in ropical waters , from the kimberley in western australia , northern territory , queensland to sydney , new south wales .

the ghost crab stays in the cool protection of its burrow by day and scuttles down to the water at twilight to hunt . the burrow , which is built quite high up on the shore ( sometimes over 100 m from the sea ) , can be over 1 m deep .

valero - pacheco , e . ; f . alvarez ; l . g . abarca - arenas & m . escobar . 2007 . population density and activity pattern of the ghost crab , ocypode quadrata , in veracruz , mexico . crustaceana 80 : 313 - 325 . [ links ]

it wets it gills for two purposes , reproduction and respiration . occasionally , the crab draws up water from moist sand to moisten its gills .

gaudipluma artal et al . 2013 ( eocene crab ) its carapace resembles the buildings of catalan architect antoní gaudí . [ zootaxa 3652 : 343 ]

borradaile , l . a . ( 1922 ) . on the mouthparts of the shore crab . j . linn . soc . 35 : 115–142

the atlantic ghost crab has been described as both a predator and scavenger with its diet thought to consist primarily of swash - zone inhabiting mole crabs ( emerita talpoida ) and coquina clams ( donax variabilis ) , as well as semi - terrestrial amphipods ( talorchestia spp . ) which utilize damp wrack in the supratidal [ 36 , 37 , 44 , 45 ] ( fig 1 ) . all three principal prey taxa provide critical trophic links in sandy beach ecosystems globally but have distinct feeding modes and preferred micro - habitats [ 33 , 46 , 47 ] . ghost crab diets may be opportunistically supplemented by marine carrion , and / or microphagous depositing feeding - either of which may modify ghost crab trophic position , sensu [ 38 , 48 ] , albeit such resources most likely contribute only a small percentage to their diet [ 37 , 49 , 50 ] .

albunea groeningi boyko , 2002 ( sand crab ( crustacea : anomura : albuneidae ) ) named for matt groening , creator of " the simpsons " .

has been shown to have a negative impact on turtle populations . there have been efforts to control ghost crab populations due to their predation on turtle eggs . studies have found that ghost crabs consume up to 10 % of turtle eggs when they prey on a nest , and they have also been known to prey on the hatchlings . measures to control populations around turtle nesting sites have included destroying burrows and using raccoons that prey on the crabs .

thomas j . trott ( 1988 ) . " note on the foraging activities of the painted ghost crab ocypode gaudichaudii h . milne edwards & lucas in costa rica ( decapoda , brachyura ) " . crustaceana 55 ( 2 ) : 217–219 . doi : 10 . 1163 / 156854088x00546 . jstor 20104392 .

i’m writing a field report on ghost crabs right now ( ocypode quadrata ) . i’d be very interested in reading the paper you’ve got = ) .

for most estuarine beaches , lower burrow densities were observed during winter compared to summer sampling . this is probably related to seasonal differences of ghost crab rhythms , with low activities during cold days as already recorded for o . quadrata in other beaches ( haley 1969 , leber 1981 , alberto & fontoura 1999 ) .

in what follows , we broaden an earlier examination of the diets of the widely distributed atlantic ghost crab , ocypode quadrata , [ 43 ] to encompass 16 barrier island beaches along the sub - tropical gulf of mexico and atlantic coasts of the united states and make predictions about the changing structure of food webs that accompany the gradient of physical attributes of the surveyed beaches . identifying conspicuous changes in the conversion of carbon and nitrogen by a major predator—the ghost crab—across a range of sandy beach morphology is a critical first step in describing food web configurations and their variation over time and space [ 10 , 27 , 47 , 54 ] .

the crab has club - shaped eyestalks and it boasts of a 360° vision . this helps it see and catch insects that are even in mid - air .

currently , ghost crabs are not considered threatened or endangered . one of the main threats to ghost crabs is off - road vehicles ( orvs ) . the orvs can crush or bury the crabs and interfere with their reproductive cycle . orvs can greatly affect ghost crabs at night when they are feeding . another threat is a decline in their habitat ; construction in the upper intertidal zone for residential or commercial use can caused increased mortality and a potential decline in the population .

the relationships between the mean proportion of each of the three diet components and the physical parameters ( beach width , foreshore slope , median sediment grain size and wrack biomass ) across all sites were examined using least squares forward stepwise regression analysis within the statistics module of sigmaplot version 13 . 0 . stepwise regression selects independent variables for a multiple linear regression equation from a list of candidate variables to avoid using extraneous variables in the model . the diet component proportions were first transformed ( √arcsine ) to address the potential problems of constraints in the covariance , correlation structure and subsequent interpretation linked to the use of compositional data [ 73 ] . for those relationships where stepwise linear regression did not yield significant results and exhibited non - linear tendencies to the structure of the data , appropriate non - linear models were applied using individual physical parameters . stepwise regression analysis was also used to investigate the relationship between ghost crab density and beach physical parameters ( mean beach width , foreshore slope , median sediment grain size and wrack biomass ) . mean burrow density , as the proxy for ghost crab abundance , was transformed ( log 10 ) to meet assumptions of normality [ 74 ] . stepwise regression analysis was also used to examine the relationships between ghost crab trophic position and beach physical parameters . finally , linear and non - linear models were applied to relationships between proportions of the diet ( mole crab , amphipod , coquina clam ) and ghost crab trophic position .

ghost crabs have been used as indicators for measuring the impacts of human use on beaches . their population is relatively easy to monitor ; the density of ghost crabs on a beach can be estimated by counting the number of burrows in a certain area . population densities have declined due to habitat modification and heavy , continuous trampling . because ghost crabs are apex predators of the habitat , monitoring their population can allow humans to assess the impact of human activity on sandy beach ecosystems .

is considered semiterrestrial . it has developed an interesting adaptation for life on land : a crab will occasionally will return to the water to wet its gills ; however it can also get water from damp sand . ghost crabs use fine hairs on the base of their legs to wick water from the sand up onto its gills .

previous studies of brazilian populations of ghost crabs were based on the reproductive cycle and recruitment ( negreiros - fransozo et al . 2002 ) and spatial distribution in a southern high - energy oceanic sandy beach ( alberto & fontoura 1999 ) and in low - energy tide - dominated sandy beaches ( turra et al . 2005 ) . in the latter , anthropogenic impact on ghost crab density may be confounded by natural response to high environmental heterogeneity that are characteristic of low - energy sandy beaches .

ghost crabs construct simple to complex deep burrows in soft sandy and / or muddy substrates . they can be found in sandy beaches , rubble flats , and in

the strong hairy legs of this animal make it run very fast and achieve speeds of about 10 miles per hour . this makes this crab the fastest among all crustaceans .

albania – in south albania , there is the katallani “the catalan” a monster which relies on the historical catalan occupation of the region centuries ago used to scare children . in south italy , there is the gogoli , “the mongol” another historical use of the golden horde that is used to frighten children into behaving .

finland – here , the bogeyman is known as mörkö . in the moomin stories , the mörkö or groke is a frightening , dark blue and big ghost like creature .

although ghost crab diets have been described from several locations , little information exists on the variation in their diets that may be expected across the broad spectrum of beach morphology despite the ghost crab’s wide distribution and importance to the function of sandy beach ecosystems [ 37 , 42 , 44 , 51 , 52 ] . in lakes , modification of prey populations , predator diets , trophic position and degree of omnivory has been observed along gradients of lake morphology reflecting differences in predator access to particular food web compartments supporting important prey [ 9 , 27 ] . similarly , in sandy beaches , based upon known distribution and preferred habitats of the main prey of ghost crabs ( see fig 1 ) ( mole crabs , coquina clams , and semi - terrestrial amphipods ) [ 5 ] and invertebrate community composition [ 17 , 40 , 53 ] , the relative availability of the most commonly accessed prey change in response to altered beach width , substrate type and slope . thus the gradient of sandy beach morphologies may be viewed as a series of micro - habitat compartments ( swash zone , wrackline ) varying in prey accessibility and availability which should have implications for links to higher trophic level consumers ( i . e . ghost crab ) ( fig 1 ) .

‘ocypodid’ ( ghost and fiddler ) crabs are ‘ semi - terrestrial ‘ ( spending time on land and in the water ) , living on sandy beaches , mud flats and mangroves . they can spend long periods of time out of the water by keeping their gills moist via special gill chambers that extract oxygen from the air . their eyes are stalked , which means they can be laid flat within the grooves on their shell or raised for a better look around . they take shelter in their cool burrows above the high tide water mark during the day and come out at night in search of food . they feed on plants , animals ( turtle hatchlings included ! ) and micro - organisms . the golden ghost crab is only found along the western australian coast , from bunbury to exmouth . they are relatively small growing to a carapace width of 45 millimetres .

while all races in chinese are refered to as a type of ghost / shadow ( sub - human ) , the word for japanese is unique in that it means child .

barros , f . 2001 . ghost crabs as a tool for rapid assessment of human impacts on exposed sandy beaches . biological conservation 97 : 399 - 404 . [ links ]

trophic position ( tp ) of ghost crabs ranged from 3 . 7 ( anc , beach width = 32 m ) to 1 . 9 ( ana , beach width = 67 m ) . the stepwise regression procedure revealed that beach width was the single physical beach parameter that contributed to a useful model description with tp decreasing significantly ( f = 20 . 35 , p < 0 . 001 ) as beach width increased ( table 1 —model 5 and fig 7a ) . slope , sediment size and wrack biomass did not add predictive power ( p > 0 . 268 ) ( table 1 —model 5 ) . significant relationships were found when examining ghost crab tp and the proportion of each principal prey . highest ghost crab tp was generally associated with higher use of mole crabs ( hyperbola model , f = 7 . 75 , p = 0 . 015 ) ( table 1 —model 6 and fig 7b ) and / or amphipods ( f = 21 . 44 , p < 0 . 001 ) ( table 1 —model 7 and fig 7c ) . however a significant negative relationship between ghost crab tp and the proportion of coquina clams in their diets was recorded ( f = 6 . 43 , p = 0 . 024 ) ( table 1 —model 8 and fig 7d ) .

hughes , d . a . 1966 . behavioral and ecological investigations of the crab ocypode ceratophthalmus ( crustacea : ocypodidae ) . journal of zoology 150 : 129 - 143 . [ links ]

ghost crabs can make very good pets if properly looked after . if you are planning to breed these crabs in your home , here are some steps that you have to follow .

mating can occur throughout the year . unlike other crab species , ghost crabs can mate even when the female’s integument is hard , which means that they can mate anytime after sexual maturation . this is an adaptation to terrestrial life . mating occurs while both the male and the female have a hard shell . usually mating will occur somewhere in or near the burrow of the male . often copulatory plugs are found in ghost crabs ; the male will release a seminal fluid along with his sperm that will become hard and prevent rival sperm from reaching the female’s ova .

chiromantes garfunkel davie & ng , 2013 ( garfunkel ' s bright - eyed crab ) named for art garfunkel in tribute to his song " bright eyes " . [ zootaxa 3609 : 1 ]

pakistan – the bhoot or jin baba is used by parents to scare children into behaving . this creature is a ghost djinn . in other places it is known as kathu ki maa .

barros f . ghost crabs as a tool for rapid assessment of human impacts on exposed sandy beaches . biol conserv . 2001 ; 97 ( 3 ) : 399–404 . isi : 000166790200012 .

yes , we study bird nest productivity on our florida state park beaches and ghost crabs have been documented in eating snowy plover eggs , chicks and make attempts at eating adult plovers . they also eat least tern eggs and harass least tern adults on nests . we have some footage on youtube looking at defense mechanisms feigning broken wing to lure ghost crabs away from snowy plover nests .

mesoparapylocheles michaeljacksoni klompmaker et . al . 2012 ( fossil hermit crab ) discovered on the same day that the researchers learned of pop superstar michael jackson ' s death , and named in his honor .

the modern - day symbol for cancer is a pair of pincers like those on a crab . the constellation shape for cancer itself looks more like an upside - down “y” which is interpreted to be the back of the crab . over the millennia , the cancer constellation has been used to represent a number of different animals , most often those of an aquatic , shore - dwelling animal with an exoskeleton .

schlacher , t . , s . lucrazi . 2009 . monitoring beach impacts : a case for ghost crabs as ecological indicators ? . 2nd queensland coastal conference , gold coast : 1 - 15 .

the crab , cancer enters the story here as either the hydra called on it for help or the goddess hera sent it to hinder the hero hercules . it’s considered a large crab , large enough that it tries to do a number on hercules’ foot with its pincers . for all its trouble , hercules simply kills it by crushing it in return with his foot and then turning his attention back to the hydra and finally succeeds at killing it . a slight variation to this turn of events places hercules as having kicked the crab hard enough that it flew up into the heavens to become the familiar constellation of cancer .

steiner , a . j . & s . p . leatherman . 1981 . recreational impacts on the distribution of ghost crabs ocypode quadrata fab . biological conservation 20 : 111 - 122 . [ links ]

alpha cancri – also known as acubens or al zubanah , both meaning “the claws . ” another name for this star is sertan , “the crab . ” it is the fourth brightest star of the cancer constellation .