''Gecarcoidea lalandii'' is a large species of terrestrial crab. It is dark purple in colour, with long legs and short pincers. It is

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

, so spends most of the day hiding in

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

s. Compared to the related '' G. natalis'', ''G. lalandii'' is relatively widespread, being found in the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

from the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

and eastwards. Adults mainly occur in forest, but can sometimes be found in more open habitats. When carrying eggs, females migrate to the coast, where they release the eggs in the

tidal zone The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species of ...

. Small adults sometimes fall prey to the crab ''

Geograpsus ''Geograpsus'' is a genus of crabs in the family Grapsidae The Grapsidae are a family of crabs known variously as marsh crabs, shore crabs, or talon crabs. The family has not been confirmed to form a monophyletic group and some taxa may belo ...

crinipes''.

References

Terrestrial crustaceans Grapsoidea Crustaceans described in 1837 Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards {{Crab-stub