''Paraleptuca crassipes'' or the thick-legged fiddler crab is a species of
fiddler crab
The fiddler crab or calling crab may be any of more than one hundred species of semiterrestrial marine crabs in the family Ocypodidae, well known for their sexually dimorphic claws; the males' major claw is much larger than the minor claw, while ...
that lives in intertidal habitats distributed across the western Pacific Ocean.
[
''Paraleptuca crassipes'' was formerly a member of the genus '']Uca
The fiddler crab or calling crab may be any of more than one hundred species of semiterrestrial marine crabs in the family Ocypodidae, well known for their sexually dimorphic claws; the males' major claw is much larger than the minor claw, whil ...
'', but in 2016 it was placed in the genus '' Paraleptuca'', a former subgenus of ''Uca''.[
]
Distribution
''Paraleptuca crassipes'' has a natural range
Range may refer to:
Geography
* Range (geographic), a chain of hills or mountains; a somewhat linear, complex mountainous or hilly area (cordillera, sierra)
** Mountain range, a group of mountains bordered by lowlands
* Range, a term used to i ...
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.[
]
Description
''Paraleptuca crassipes'' usually have a crimson red carapace although some individuals may have black margins or patches. The large male cheliped
A chela ()also called a claw, nipper, or pinceris a pincer-like organ at the end of certain limbs of some arthropods. The name comes from Ancient Greek , through New Latin '. The plural form is chelae. Legs bearing a chela are called chelipeds. ...
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
Uca crassipes
Marine Species Identification Portal
Ocypodoidea
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