Emerita talpoida | |
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Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
Infraorder: | Anomura |
Family: | Hippidae |
Genus: | Emerita |
Species: | E. talpoida |
Binomial name | |
Emerita talpoida (Say, 1817) | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Emerita talpoida, known generally as the Atlantic mole crab or Atlantic sand crab, is a species of mole crab in the family Hippidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Mexico along the shoreline. [1] [2] [3]
The Atlantic mole crab inhabits the swash zone of sandy beaches from Cape Cod south to the gulf Coast of Mexico. [4] [2] It is one of seven New World Emerita species. [5]
Like all Emerita species, the Atlantic mole crab is a fossorial filter feeder. It requires moving water in order to feed, and it does so by burrowing itself backwards into the sand. [6] It uses its exposed feathery antennae to filter algae, detritus, and plankton. [7] [8]
The Atlantic mole crab is an important food source for the Atlantic ghost crab, the blue crab, and certain species of fish in the swash zone. [9] [8] Shorebirds, notably sanderlings, have also been observed foraging for sand crabs. [10] The combination of its burrowing feeding strategy and its camouflaged carapace assist the Atlantic mole crab in evading predation. [8]
Because they spend much of their life in the swash zone, they can serve as a bioindicator for the effects of large-scale engineering works. [6]
Emerita talpoida was originally described as Hippa talpoida in 1817. [11] In 1879 a review of the family reassigned multiple species, including H. talpoida, from the genus Hippa to the genus Emerita. [12] The two are now considered sister genera. [12]
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