Uca chlorophthalmus

Uca chlorophthalmus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Ocypodidae
Genus: Uca
Subgenus: Paraleptuca
Species: U. chlorophthalmus
Binomial name
Uca chlorophthalmus
(H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) [1]
Synonyms [2]
  • Gelasimus chlorophthalmus H. Milne-Edwards, 1837
  • Uca amazonensis Doflein, 1899

Uca chlorophthalmus, is a common fiddler crab found in the mangroves of East Africa, from Somalia to South Africa, as well as Madagascar and Mauritius.[3] Marsh fiddlers dig burrows in the muddy or sandy banks of salt marshes, which they use to protect themselves from predators, high tide and extreme temperatures. They feed by filtering detritus out of mud, and defend their burrows against other fiddler crabs. U. chlorophthalmus is characterised by its red pereiopods and blue and black markings on its carapace.

References

  1. Sammy De Grave; N. Dean Pentcheff; Shane T. Ahyong; et al. (2009). "A classification of living and fossil genera of decapod crustaceans" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Suppl. 21: 1–109.
  2. Peter Davie (2012). "Uca (Paraleptuca) chlorophthalmus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837)". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  3. D. Gillikin & A. Verheyden (2002). "Uca chlorophthalmus". A Field Guide to Kenyan Mangroves. Retrieved June 10, 2012.

Further reading


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