Males compete in a ritualized matter that avoids the need for physical contact.Īfter hatching from an egg, Ocypode quadrata has five zoea stages and one megalopa stage. Ghost crabs communicate using many sounds, including striking the ground with their claws, stridulation (rubbing together) of their legs and making a “bubbling sound”. Other Habitat Features: estuarine intertidal or littoral Habitat Regions: tropical saltwater or marine They are found on the supralittoral zone (the area above the spring high tide line) of sand beaches, from the water line up to the dunes. Ghost crabs inhabit tropical and subtropical areas and can be found on both oceanic and more protected estuarine beaches. Other Physical Features: bilateral symmetry They have a quadrate carapace, large club-shaped eyestalks, unequal chelipeds (claws) and long walking legs. They are either straw-colored or grayish-white. Ocypode quadrata is small, having a carapace length of about 5 cm (2 inches) at maturity. Although these crabs are often out and about during the day, they are most active at night. Burrows have a single opening and descend 0.6 to 1.2 meters at a 45 degree angle. Young crabs burrow just above the intertidal zone, but adults dig their burrows higher up, sometimes even behind the forward dunes.
Atlantic Ghost Crabs are very active and can often be seen dashing into the retreating surf to wet their gills or to grab scraps of food (" Ocypode" means "swift-footed"), although they will drown if kept submerged. They are occasionally found north to eastern Long Island and Rhode Island, but are uncommon north of Virginia. These crabs dig burrows above the intertidal zone on ocean beaches from Delaware (U.S.A.) through the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico to Brazil. The space between the eyes is much shorter than the eyestalks. It is a common species along the Atlantic coast of the United States, where it is the only species of ghost crab its range of distribution extends from its northernmost reach on Rhode Island's beaches south along the coasts of the tropical Western Atlantic Ocean to the beach.Ītlantic Ghost Crabs ( Ocypode quadrata) are small crabs (up to around 50 mm) with squarish sand-colored shells having margins that are finely beaded but toothless the claws are white. Ocypode quadrata, known as the Atlantic ghost crab, is a species of ghost crab, once described as an "occult, secretive alien from the ancient depths of the sea".
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