Paraleptuca crassipes or the thick-legged fiddler crab is a species of fiddler crab that lives in intertidal habitats distributed across the western Pacific Ocean.[1]

Thick-legged fiddler crab
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Ocypodidae
Subfamily: Gelasiminae
Genus: Paraleptuca
Species:
P. crassipes
Binomial name
Paraleptuca crassipes
(White, 1847)
Synonyms
  • Gelasimus crassipes White, 1847

Paraleptuca crassipes was formerly a member of the genus Uca, but in 2016 it was placed in the genus Paraleptuca, a former subgenus of Uca.[2][3][4]

Distribution

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Paraleptuca crassipes has a natural range that extends from New Caledonia, to eastern Australian shores, the island of New Guinea, the Philippines, China and the southernmost islands of Japan. They are a species which prefers mangrove habitats.[4]

Description

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Paraleptuca crassipes usually have a crimson red carapace although some individuals may have black margins or patches. The large male cheliped is reddish pink. Walking legs can be crimson red or black. Bright sky blue patches may be present on the face and around the bases of the walking legs.

References

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  1. ^ "Paraleptuca crassipes". Fiddler Crabs. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  2. ^ Shih, Hsi-Te; Ng, Peter K. L.; Davie, Peter J. F.; Schubart, Christoph D.; et al. (2016). "Systematics of the family Ocypodidae Rafinesque, 1815 (Crustacea: Brachyura), based on phylogenetic relationships, with a reorganization of subfamily rankings and a review of the taxonomic status of Uca Leach, 1814, sensu lato and its subgenera". The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 64.
  3. ^ Rosenberg, Michael S. (2019). "A fresh look at the biodiversity lexicon for fiddler crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Ocypodidae). Part 1: Taxonomy". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 39 (6).
  4. ^ a b "WoRMS taxon details, Paraleptuca crassipes (White, 1847)". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2020-11-16.