Johngarthia oceanica

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Johngarthia oceanica
Gecarcinus johngarthia planatus - crabe de clipperton wiki14.JPG
Scientific classification
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J. oceanica
Binomial name
Johngarthia oceanica
(Perger, 2019)

Johngarthia oceanica, also known as Clipperton crab, is a bright orange species of land crab that lives on Clipperton Island and on Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico in the tropical eastern Pacific. [1] Prior to 2019, J. oceanica was considered part of J. planata, [2] [3] however a reexamination determined the land crabs on the oceanic islands to be a separate species. J. oceanica differs from J. planata in the shape of the mesial lobe of the infraorbital margin and the color of its carapace. [1]

J. oceanica is omnivorous and feeds on seaweed (algae), vegetation and sometimes carrion. It has been observed climbing trees to feast on leaves. [4]

On Clipperton, the introduction of species that prey on the land crabs has had a significant impact on the island's vegetation. The introduction of pigs on Clipperton Island by guano miners in the 1890s reduced the crab population, which allowed grassland to gradually cover about 80 percent of the atoll's land surface. [5] The elimination of these pigs in 1958 caused most of this vegetation to disappear, resulting in the return of millions of crabs. [2] [6] The introduction of ship rats from shipwrecks on the island in the late 20th/early 21st century has led to a decline in the crab population, causing a corresponding increase in both vegetation and coconut palms. [6]

Studies of predation upon land crabs on Socorro Island found that the crabs make up a significant portion of the yellow-crowned night herons 's diet. Predation by red-tailed hawks and, to a limited degree, feral cats was also noted. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clipperton Island</span> Atoll of Overseas France

Clipperton Island, also known as Clipperton Atoll and previously referred to as Clipperton's Rock, is a 8.9 km2 (3.4 sq mi) uninhabited French coral atoll in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The only French territory in the North Pacific, Clipperton is 10,675 km (6,633 mi) from Paris, France; 5,400 km (2,900 nmi) from Papeete, Tahiti; and 1,280 km (690 nmi) from Acapulco, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Socorro Island</span> Small volcanic island off the west coast of Mexico

Socorro Island is a volcanic island in the Revillagigedo Islands, a Mexican possession lying 600 kilometres (370 mi) off the country's western coast. The size is 16.5 by 11.5 km, with an area of 132 km2 (51 sq mi). It is the largest of the four islands of the Revillagigedo Archipelago. The last eruption was in 1993.

Clipperton may refer to:

<i>Gecarcinus quadratus</i> Species of crab

Gecarcinus quadratus, known as the red land crab, whitespot crab, Halloween crab, moon crab, Halloween moon crab, mouthless crab, or harlequin land crab, is a colourful land crab from the family Gecarcinidae.

<i>Coenobita cavipes</i> Species of crustacean

Coenobita cavipes is a species of land hermit crab native to the eastern parts of Africa, the Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Polynesia, and Micronesia. While these hermit crabs are terrestrial, they prefer to reside near the shores for access of both water and land.

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

Tuerkayana hirtipes is a species of terrestrial crab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cryptochiridae</span> Family of crabs

Cryptochiridae is a family of crabs known commonly as gall crabs or coral gall crabs. They live inside dwellings in corals and cause the formation of galls in the coral structure. The family is currently placed in its own superfamily, Cryptochiroidea.

<i>Discoplax</i> Genus of crabs

Discoplax is a genus of terrestrial crabs. It is very closely related to the genus Cardisoma.

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

Cardisoma carnifex is a species of terrestrial crab found in coastal regions from the east coast of Africa and the Red Sea across the Indo-Pacific to the Line Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago. The range includes parts of northern Australia and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

<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>Johngarthia</i> Genus of crabs

Johngarthia is a genus of crabs in the land crab family Gecarcinidae, formerly included in the genus Gecarcinus, and containing six species. The genus bears the name of John S. Garth, a 20th century naturalist who specialized in crabs and other arthropods.

<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 off the coast of Africa near Zanzibar.

<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>Pagurus samuelis</i> Species of crustacean

Pagurus samuelis, the blueband hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab from the west coast of North America, and the most common hermit crab in California. It is a small species, with distinctive blue bands on its legs. It prefers to live in the shell of the black turban snail, and is a nocturnal scavenger of algae and carrion.

<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">Panopeidae</span> Family of crabs

The Panopeidae are a family containing 26 genera of morphologically similar crabs, often known as "mud crabs". Their centers of diversity are the Atlantic Ocean and eastern Pacific 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf ghost crab</span> Species of crab

The gulf ghost crab, Hoplocypode occidentalis, is a species of ghost crabs native to the Pacific coast of the Americas, from the Gulf of California to Colombia. It is the only species in the genus Hoplocypode. Gulf ghost crabs are medium-sized, reaching a maximum overall body diameter of 6 in (15 cm). They are one of only two ghost crab species found in the eastern Pacific. However, gulf ghost crabs can easily be distinguished from painted ghost crabs by the absence of "horns" on their eyes.

Kenneth E. Stager was an American ornithologist who served as a curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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

Johngarthia planata is a bright orange species of land crab that lives on inshore islands and the continental mainland coast of the tropical and subtropical Pacific coast of the Americas, including the Gulf of California, Costa Rica, Colombia, and continental mainland beaches of Mexico. The crabs are omnivorous and feed on seaweed (algae), vegetation and sometimes carrion.

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 Perger, Robert (2019-04-12). "A New Species of Johngarthia from Clipperton and Socorro Islands in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (Crustacea: Decapoda: Gecarcinidae)". Pacific Science. 73 (2): 285. doi:10.2984/73.2.9. ISSN   0030-8870. S2CID   146030476.
  2. 1 2 Davie, P. (2015). Bieler R, Bouchet P, Gofas S, Marshall B, Rosenberg G, La Perna R, Neubauer TA, Sartori AF, Schneider S, Vos C, ter Poorten JJ, Taylor J, Dijkstra H, Finn J, Bank R, Neubert E, Moretzsohn F, Faber M, Houart R, Picton B, Garcia-Alvarez O (eds.). "Johngarthia planata (Stimpson, 1860)". MolluscaBase. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. Robert Perger; Jorge Cortes & Cristian Pacheco (2013). "Closing a distributional gap of over 3000 km and encountering an invisible barrier: new presence/absence data for Johngarthia planata Stimpson, 1860 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Gecarcinidae) for Central America and biogeographic notes on East Pacific Gecarcinidae". Crustaceana . 86 (3): 268–277. doi:10.1163/15685403-00003172.
  4. 1 2 Ortega-Rubio, Alfredo; Jímenez, María Luisa; Llinas, Jorge; Arnaud, Gustavo (1997). "Some Ecological Aspects of the Land Crab, Gecarcinus planatus Stimpson, at Socorro Island, Colima, Mexico". Journal of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. 30 (1): 17–22. ISSN   0193-8509. JSTOR   40022435.
  5. Sachet, Marie-Hélène (1962). Geography and land ecology of Clipperton Island. Pacific Science Board, National Academy of Sciences-National Research Council.
  6. 1 2 Pitman, Robert L.; Lisa T. Ballance; Charly Bost (2005). "Clipperton Island: pig sty, rat hole and booby prize" (PDF). Marine Ornithology. 33 (2): 193–194. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-11-19. Retrieved 2017-05-29.