Gecarcinus ruricola

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Gecarcinus ruricola
Cuban Red Crab (Gecarcinus ruricola), Bahia de Cochinos.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Brachyura
Family: Gecarcinidae
Genus: Gecarcinus
Species:
G. ruricola
Binomial name
Gecarcinus ruricola
Synonyms   [2]
  • Cancer ruricolusLinnaeus, 1758
  • Ocypode tourlourouLatreille, 1803
  • Gecarcinus agricolaReichenbach, 1828
  • Ocypode rubraFréminville, 1835

Gecarcinus ruricola is a species of terrestrial crab. It is the most terrestrial of the Caribbean land crabs, [3] and is found from western Cuba across the Antilles as far east as Barbados. Common names for G. ruricola include the purple land crab, [1] black land crab, [3] red land crab, [4] and zombie crab. [5]

Contents

Description

Gecarcinus ruricola Gecarcinus ruricola.png
Gecarcinus ruricola
A male G. ruricola Male Gecarcinus ruricola.jpg
A male G. ruricola

Four colour morphs exist within the species - black, red, yellow, and green. [6] The carapace of G. ruricola grows in width at a rate of about 1 in (25 mm) per year, with the crabs reaching maturity after 5 years, and living for up to 10 years in total. [6] G. ruricola crabs have a number of adaptations to terrestrial life, mostly regarding water conservation. They are nocturnal, to prevent the hot sun from drying them out. They also have a "nephritic pad", onto which urine is released, to be cleaned by microbes before the water is then reabsorbed. [7]

Distribution

G. ruricola is found across much of the Caribbean, from Cuba and the Bahamas in the west through the Antilles to Barbados in the east. It has been reported from Florida and Nicaragua, but few confirmed examples exist from the mainland; Loggerhead Key in the Dry Tortugas marks the northernmost limit of its island distribution, which extends across the Bahamas and Cuba, through the Greater and Lesser Antilles, to Barbados. Outlying populations exist on Curaçao, in the Swan Islands off Honduras, Half Moon Caye of Belize, and the Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina off the Colombian coast. [3]

It can be found at great distances from the sea, and at high altitudes; it has been observed above 300 m (980 ft) on the island of Dominica, and at over 1,000 m (3,300 ft) on Jamaica. [3]

Life cycle

The eggs of G. ruricola hatch in the sea, [6] where the larvae live as plankton. The return of the larvae to land seems to be infrequent, but when they do return, they return as megalopa larvae, in sufficient numbers to turn roads red. [8] They move at speeds of 1–2 m/s (2.2–4.5 mph), or faster if startled. [9] For the next three years, the young crabs live in burrows inhabited by other crabs, and eat food brought back to the burrow by the older crab. [6]

After mating, mass migrations occur, with the females returning to the sea to release their fertilised eggs. A typical female carries around 85,000 eggs. [8]

Ecology

G. ruricola is an omnivorous scavenger, [6] feeding mostly on nitrogen-poor plant matter. [8]

The meat of G. ruricola is rich in protein, and has often been harvested by local people. Other predators may include birds, although information is scarce. When confronted, they rear up and hold their open claws outwards in a defensive posture. [6]

Drosophila

Two Drosophila endobranchiae flies on the carapace of G. ruricola Gecarcinus Drosophila.png
Two Drosophila endobranchiae flies on the carapace of G. ruricola

G. ruricola is the host organism for two species of commensal flies in the genus Drosophila . [10] They were first observed on Montserrat by Henry Guernsey Hubbard in 1894, and presented at a scientific meeting later that year (where the crab was misidentified as Cardisoma guanhumi ), but no further research was conducted until 1955, when specimens were again collected, this time from Mona Island, and named as Drosophila carcinophila by M. R. Wheeler. [11]

In 1967, a second species of fly, Drosophila endobranchia , was discovered on G. ruricola, although it also inhabits the closely related species G. lateralis . D. endrobranchia is not closely related to D. carcinophila, and this trait appears to have evolved convergently. (A third species of fly, Lissocephala powelli , has evolved a similar habit on Christmas Island, where it lives on the land crabs Gecarcoidea lalandii , Geograpsus crinipes , and Cardisoma carnifex , and the terrestrial hermit crab Birgus latro .) D. endobranchia evolved from a group of species that breeds on fungi or bark, while D. carcinophila evolved from a group that breeds on cacti. [10]

The flies spend most of their lives on the crab, and are reluctant to leave. They do not need to flee predators, because the crabs they inhabit are fast animals and will flee: [7]

The flies … hardly move at all, are extremely reluctant in leaving their host crabs and are hard pushed to take flight. Although the flies are sluggish, the crabs on which they reside are anything but. Chasing after crabs through a pitch-black jungle (growing on a razor-sharp labyrinthine limestone ground), while trying to aspirate flies from their carapaces is not trivial. Obtaining large amounts of flies in this way is simply a nightmare.

The eggs are laid around the crab's compound eyes; the first-instar larvae migrate to the crab's nephritic pad, and live there, feeding on the microbes that cleanse the crab's urine. The second instar is spent in the crab's gill chamber. The third instar has the larvae return to the mouthparts before falling to the ground to pupate. [7]

Linnaeus

Carl Linnaeus described the species in 1758 (the starting point for zoological nomenclature), noting the species' annual migrations from the forests to the coast (Habitat in America, sylvas vastissimis agminibus quotannis deserens littora maris petiturus: "lives in America; every year, an army marches out of the forests towards the sea"). [12]

Philately

G. ruricola appeared on two African postage stamps for the International Year of the Ocean in 1998, under the name "mountain crab". These were a Tanzanian stamp worth TSh  500/= and a Ugandan stamp worth USh  250/=. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab</span> Infraorder of decapod crustaceans

Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the world's oceans, in freshwater, and on land, are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton, and have a single pair of pincers. They first appeared during the Jurassic Period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermit crab</span> Superfamily of crustaceans (Paguroidea)

Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an asymmetric abdomen concealed by a snug-fitting shell. Hermit crabs' soft (non-calcified) abdominal exoskeleton means they must occupy shelter produced by other organisms or risk being defenseless.

<i>Coenobita</i> Genus of crustaceans

The genus Coenobita contains 17 species of terrestrial hermit crabs. Several species in this genus are kept as pets.

<i>Grapsus grapsus</i> Species of crab

Grapsus grapsus is one of the most common crabs along the western coast of the Americas. It is known as the red rock crab, or, along with other crabs such as Percnon gibbesi, as the Sally Lightfoot crab.

<i>Tuerkayana hirtipes</i> Species of crab

Tuerkayana hirtipes is a species of terrestrial crab.

<i>Discoplax longipes</i> Species of crab

Discoplax longipes is a species of terrestrial crab. It is found in karstic caves on Pacific islands and ranges from the Loyalty Islands to French Polynesia. Mating occurs in the caves, after which the females migrate to the sea to release their fertilised eggs. The genus Discoplax was for a long time synonymised with Cardisoma, but was resurrected in the late 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fauna of Barbados</span>

The fauna of Barbados comprises all the animal species inhabiting the island of Barbados and its surrounding waters. Barbados has less biodiversity than the other Antilles. Human activities are responsible for the change in the composition of the fauna, in particular, the replacement of native species. Species that are able to adapt to human presence have survived.

<i>Cardisoma guanhumi</i> Species of crustacean

Cardisoma guanhumi, also known as the blue land crab, is a species of land crab found in tropical and subtopical estuaries and other maritime areas of land along the Atlantic coast of the Americas from Brazil and Colombia, through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico, to the Bahamas, and north to Ponce Inlet, Florida Princess Place Preserve on the Palm Coast, and Bermuda. The species varies in colour from dark blue to brown or pale grey, and may grow to 15 centimetres (6 in) in carapace width and weigh over 500 grams (18 oz).

<i>Cardisoma armatum</i> Species of crab

Cardisoma armatum is a species of terrestrial crab.

<i>Gecarcinus lateralis</i> Species of crustacean

Gecarcinus lateralis, also known by the common names blackback land crab, Bermuda land crab, red land crab and moon crab, is a colourful crab from the family Gecarcinidae.

<i>Gecarcinus</i> Genus of crabs

Gecarcinus is the type genus of the land crab family Gecarcinidae. They are found in warmer coastal regions of the Americas, including islands in the Caribbean. Four species from oceanic islands were formerly included in Gecarcinus as the subgenus Johngarthia, but are now treated as a separate genus, Johngarthia. While all members of this genus are largely terrestrial, they have to return to the ocean to breed. They are often colourful, with reddish, orange, purple, yellowish, whitish, or blackish being the dominating hues. This has resulted in some species, notably G. quadratus and G. lateralis, gaining a level of popularity in the pet trade.

<i>Drosophila endobranchia</i> Species of fly

Drosophila endobranchia is a species of fly in the family Drosophilidae. The species, which is endemic to Grand Cayman, was discovered in 1966 and not found again until 2007, when it was rediscovered in the mouth region of a land crab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut crab</span> Species of crustacean

The coconut crab is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod in the world, with a weight of up to 4.1 kg (9 lb). It can grow to up to 1 m in width from the tip of one leg to the tip of another. It is found on islands across the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Pacific Ocean as far east as the Gambier Islands, Pitcairn Islands and Caroline Island, similar to the distribution of the coconut palm; it has been extirpated from most areas with a significant human population, including mainland Australia and Madagascar. Coconut crabs also live on islands off the coast of Africa around Zanzibar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crustacean larva</span> Crustacean larval and immature stages between hatching and adult form

Crustaceans may pass through a number of larval and immature stages between hatching from their eggs and reaching their adult form. Each of the stages is separated by a moult, in which the hard exoskeleton is shed to allow the animal to grow. The larvae of crustaceans often bear little resemblance to the adult, and there are still cases where it is not known what larvae will grow into what adults. This is especially true of crustaceans which live as benthic adults, more-so than where the larvae are planktonic, and thereby easily caught.

<i>Johngarthia lagostoma</i> Species of crab

Johngarthia lagostoma is a species of terrestrial crab that lives on Ascension Island and three other islands in the South Atlantic. It grows to a carapace width of 110 mm (4.3 in) on Ascension Island, where it is the largest native land animal. It exists in two distinct colour morphs, one yellow and one purple, with few intermediates. The yellow morph dominates on Ascension Island, while the purple morph is more frequent on Rocas Atoll. The species differs from other Johngarthia species by the form of the third maxilliped.

<i>Johngarthia weileri</i> Species of crab

Johngarthia weileri is a species of land crab in the genus Johngarthia from the eastern Atlantic Ocean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terrestrial crab</span> Crabs that live primarily on land

A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families Gecarcinidae and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as Sesarma, although the term "land crab" is often used to mean solely the family Gecarcinidae.

<i>Guinotia dentata</i> Species of crab

Guinotia dentata, commonly known as cyrique, is a West Indian species of freshwater crab in the family Pseudothelphusidae. They have few predators. They are easily caught and thus are used locally as a food source.

Coenobita rubescens is a species of terrestrial (land-living) hermit crab, family Coenobitidae.

References

  1. 1 2 "Gecarcinus ruricola". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
  2. Peter K. L. Ng; Danièle Guinot; Peter J. F. Davie (2008). "Systema Brachyurorum: Part I. An annotated checklist of extant Brachyuran crabs of the world" (PDF). Raffles Bulletin of Zoology . 17: 1–286. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-06-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Richard G. Hartnoll; Mark S. P. Baine; Yolima Grandas; Jennifer James & Helen Atkin (2006). "Population biology of the black land crab, Gecarcinus ruricola, in the San Andres archipelago, Western Caribbean". Journal of Crustacean Biology . 26 (3): 316–325. doi:10.1651/C-2640.1.
  4. "Red land crab Gecarcinus ruricola". Spectrum of Life. American Museum of Natural History. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
  5. M. Kettunen; P. Genovesi; S. Gollasch; S. Pagad; U. Starfinger; P. ten Brink; C. Shine (2008). Technical support to EU strategy on invasive species (IAS) - Assessment of the impacts of IAS in Europe and the EU (final module report for the European Commission) (PDF). Brussels, Belgium: Institute for European Environmental Policy. pp. 44 + annexes.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Why do we see Crabs in the Quill?" (PDF). St Eustatius: National and Marine Parks and Botanical Gardens Newsletter: 5. 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-24. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  7. 1 2 3 Marcus C. Stensmyr; Regina Stieber & Bill S. Hansson (2008). Vosshall, Leslie B. (ed.). "The Cayman Crab Fly Revisited — Phylogeny and Biology of Drosophila endobranchia". PLoS One . 3 (4): e1942. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.1942S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0001942 . PMC   2275792 . PMID   18398468.
  8. 1 2 3 Richard G. Hartnoll; Mark S. P. Baine; Arne Britton; Yolima Grandas; Jennifer James; Alejandro Velasco; Michael G. Richmond (2007). "Reproduction of the black land crab, Gecarcinus ruricola, in the San Andres Archipelago, Western Caribbean". Journal of Crustacean Biology . 27 (3): 425–436. doi: 10.1651/S-2772.1 .
  9. Richard Hartnoll; Paul F. Clark (2006). "A mass recruitment event in the land crab Gecarcinus ruricola (Linnaeus, 1758) (Brachyura: Grapsoidea: Gecarcinidae), and a description of the megalop". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 146 (2): 149–164. doi: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00195.x .
  10. 1 2 Hampton L. Carson (1974). "Three Flies and Three Islands: Parallel Evolution in Drosophila". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 71 (9): 3517–3521. Bibcode:1974PNAS...71.3517C. doi: 10.1073/pnas.71.9.3517 . PMC   433805 . PMID   4530320.
  11. Marcus C. Stensmyr; Bill S. Hansson (2007). "Flies' lives on a crab". Current Biology . 17 (17): R743–R746. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.06.015 . PMID   17803919. S2CID   15254577.
  12. Carl Linnaeus (1758). "239. Cancer". Systema Naturae (10th ed.). Stockholm, Sweden: Laurentius Salvius. pp. 649–658.
  13. Makoto Omori & Lipke B. Holthuis (2005). "Crustaceans on postage stamps from 1870 to and including 2002: revised article for our paper in 2000 and addendum" (PDF). Journal of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. 1: 1–39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-10-08. Retrieved 2010-02-06.