Leptuca_spinicarpa
Leptuca spinicarpa
Species of crab
Leptuca spinicarpa, commonly known as the spiny-wristed fiddler crab or the spined fiddler crab, is a species of fiddler crab native to coastal habitats along the Gulf of Mexico from northwestern Florida to Mexico.[1][2]
| Leptuca spinicarpa | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Ocypodidae |
| Subfamily: | Gelasiminae |
| Tribe: | Minucini |
| Genus: | Leptuca |
| Species: | L. spinicarpa |
| Binomial name | |
| Leptuca spinicarpa (Rathbun, 1900) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Uca spinicarpa (basionym) | |
Previously a member of the genus Uca, the species was transferred in 2016 to the genus Leptuca when Leptuca was promoted from subgenus to genus level.[3][4]
At one time, L. spinicarpa was reduced to a subspecies of L. speciosa,[5] but this is no longer accepted due to morphological, genetic, and behavioral differences.[6]
The carapace can be up to 23mm wide and is often green in color in the frontal area.[7] Strongly raised tuberculate ridges are present on the palm of the male's major cheliped; a large tubercle is present on the carpus.[6][7]
The species lives in fresh to brackish water on intertidal banks and marshes with firm clay, clay-sand, or clay-mud substratum.[7]
- Rosenberg, Michael S. (2014). "Contextual cross-referencing of species names for fiddler crabs (genus Uca): An experiment in cyber-taxonomy". PLOS ONE. 9 (7): e101704. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0101704. PMC 4086947. PMID 25004097.
- Hopkins, Melanie J.; Thurman, Carl L. (2010). "The geographic structure of morphological variation in eight species of fiddler crabs (Ocypodidae: genus Uca) from the eastern United States and Mexico". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 100 (1): 248–270. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8312.2010.01402.x. S2CID 82678219.
- Shih, Hsi-Te; Ng, Peter K. L.; Davie, Peter J. F.; Schubart, Christoph D.; et al. (2016). "Systematics of the family Ocypodidae Rafinesque, 1815 (Crustacea: Brachyura), based on phylogenetic relationships, with a reorganization of subfamily rankings and a review of the taxonomic status of Uca Leach, 1814, sensu lato and its subgenera" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. 64: 139–175.
- Rosenberg, Michael S. (2019). "A fresh look at the biodiversity lexicon for fiddler crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura: Ocypodidae). Part 1: Taxonomy". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 39 (6): 729–738. doi:10.1093/jcbiol/ruz057.
- Crane, Jocelyn (1975). Fiddler Crabs of the World. Ocypodidae: Genus Uca (PDF). New Jersey, USA: Princeton University Press.
- Arruda Bezerra, Luis; Alves Coelho, Petronio (2010). "Redescription of the fiddler crab Uca spinicarpa Rathbun, 1900 (Decapoda: Ocypodidae)" (PDF). Latin American Journal of Aquatic Research. 38 (2): 270–273. doi:10.3856/vol38-issue2-fulltext-12.
- Heard, Richard W. (1982). Guide to common tidal marsh invertebrates of the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. MASGP-79-004.
