Descriptive
Information
- Field Marks:
Dark green, brown, black hairs on claws, eyes widespread
at front corners, legs have sharp tips
- Size:
1 inch to 2.5 inches long
- General
Habitat: Red Mangrove trees
- Range:
Red Mangrove trees in Caribbean
- Field Observations:We
observed this crab on the way to Lulu Key on a mangrove tree in
a mangrove island. On the tree that we found it on there were about
ten others that we spotted. Capturing the one was not very easy,
they are very fast and adept at keeping to the opposite side of
the branch from where you are. A few that I went after ran down
aerial roots straight into the water. The one that I caught was
on a branch and had no where to go and still I would not have been
able to grab it with my hand. I had to knock it off the branch into
a bucket. We did not observe it eat or interact with other crabs
because we had to capture it and be on our way. We kept it in a
bucket for about two hours filled with water up to the top of the
crabs legs and sticks. It seemed to prefer being in the water than
on the sticks and in the shade rather than out. It made no attempt
to pinch with its claws when handled but was able to cling very
strongly to your fingers with its sharp legs.
- Sources:
Kaplan, Eugene. Southeastern and Caribbean Seashores. Houghton Mifflin
Company. Boston. 1998. Pg 331.
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