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A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families
Gecarcinidae The Gecarcinidae, the land crabs, are a family of true crabs that are adapted for terrestrial existence. Similar to all other crabs, land crabs possess a series of gills. In addition, the part of the carapace covering the gills is inflated and e ...
and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as ''
Sesarma ''Sesarma'' is a genus of terrestrial crabs endemic to the Americas. Many species within this genus live in mangroves. They have evolved to be fully terrestrial, which means they do not have to return to the sea even to spawn. Several species i ...
'', although the term "land crab" is often used to mean solely the family Gecarcinidae.


Terrestriality and migration

No clear distinction is made between "terrestrial", "semiterrestrial", and "aquatic" crabs. Rather, a continuum of terrestriality is displayed among the true crabs, although most land-adapted crabs must still return to water to release their
eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...
. Some species of terrestrial crabs can be found many kilometres from the sea, but have to complete annual migrations to the sea. For example, following the Indian Ocean
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...
, the
Christmas Island red crab The Christmas Island red crab (''Gecarcoidea natalis'') is a species of land crab that is endemic to Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean. Although restricted to a relatively small area, an estimated 43.7 million a ...
(''Gecarcoidea natalis'') migrates ', forming a "living carpet" of crabs. The crabs can travel up to in a day, and up to in total. Only a few land crabs, including certain '' Geosesarma'' species, have direct development (the mother carries the eggs until they have become tiny, fully developed crabs), and these do not need access to water to breed. Many crabs belonging to the family
Potamidae Potamidae is a family of freshwater crabs. It includes more than 650 species and nearly 100 genera, which are placed into two subfamilies: Potaminae and Potamiscinae. Subfamily Potaminae The Potaminae Ortmann, 1896 are distributed around the Me ...
, which contains mostly freshwater crabs, have developed a semiterrestrial (for instance the genus '' Nanhaipotamon'') to terrestrial life history, and are sometimes independent of fresh water for reproduction (for instance the genus ''
Tiwaripotamon ''Tiwaripotamon'' is a genus of freshwater crabs, recorded from China and Vietnam. Species * '' Tiwaripotamon annamense'' (Balss, 1914) * '' Tiwaripotamon araneum'' (Rathbun, 1904) * '' Tiwaripotamon austenianum'' (Wood-Mason, 1871) * '' Tiwari ...
'').


Ecology

Terrestrial crabs have often evolved from freshwater crabs, since the physiological changes needed for living in fresh water are
preadaptation Exaptation and the related term co-option describe a shift in the function of a trait during evolution. For example, a trait can evolve because it served one particular function, but subsequently it may come to serve another. Exaptations are common ...
s for terrestrial living. On some
oceanic island An island (or isle) is an isolated piece of habitat that is surrounded by a dramatically different habitat, such as water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, skerries, cays or keys. An island ...
s, terrestrial crabs occupy the top of the
energy pyramid An ecological pyramid (also trophic pyramid, Eltonian pyramid, energy pyramid, or sometimes food pyramid) is a graphical representation designed to show the biomass or bioproductivity at each trophic level in a given ecosystem. A ''pyramid of ...
.


See also

* Freshwater crab *
Coenobitidae The Coenobitidae are the family of terrestrial hermit crabs, widely known for their land-living habits as adults. They are found in coastal tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude b ...
, terrestrial hermit crabs *
Coconut crab The coconut crab (''Birgus latro'') 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 . It can grow to up to in width from the tip ...
(''Birgus latro''), a terrestrial hermit crab that is the largest terrestrial invertebrate in the world


References


External links

* {{Cite Americana, wstitle=Land Crabs , short=x Crabs Terrestrial crustaceans Arthropod common names