Lemon-clawed Fiddler Crab

Lemon-clawed Fiddler Crab
English Common Name
Lemon-clawed Fiddler Crab
Scientific name
Uca perplexa
Taxonomy
Order: Decapoda, Family: Ocypodidae
Size
About 2 cm (width of the shell)
Species Distribution
South of Amamioshima Island
Okinawan Common Name
Kata-chimi-ganigwar (general term for fiddler crabs)
The shell is elongated rectangular and dark-blue colored with white striped pattern. Males have one big claw although females have only small claws. The appearance is similar to Uca lactea distributed in Kyushu region to the Izu peninsula, Japan, but the distribution and its ecology are different between the two species. Male fiddler crabs wave their bigger claws to find a partner for mating. Their smaller claws are used for scooping mud. Scooped mud goes through the filter in the mouth to acquire organic matter or microorganisms.

Updated June 2017

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