Cardisoma crassum
cangrejo azul, cangrejo terrestre gigante, cangrejo terrestre sin boca, Giant land crab, Mouthless crab
The giant land crab has an oval carapace that is wider than it is long (up to 13.2 cm). The carapace is blue-cream in color, with wide eyes placed near the sides of the body. Pincers vary between cream to yellow in color, and one pincer is larger than the other. The legs are bright red.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Malacostraca
Order
Decapoda
Suborder
Pleocyemata
Superfamily
Grapsoidea
Family
Gecarcinidae
Genus
Cardisoma
Species
crassum
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Cardisoma latimanus Lockington, 1877, fide Appeltans et al. (2010)
Taxon origin
Taxon origin: Introduced - established
Habitat preferences: The giant land crab lives around mangrove roots where it builds its burrow in dry mud. Also found around rock crevices.
Substrate or host preferences: Mangroves, estuaries and brakish water
Feeding preferences: Eat mangrove leaves and dead animals
Trophic role: Omnivorous
Reproduction mode: Exclusively sexual
Distribution origin: Central and south american Pacific coast from Baja California to Peru.
Subpathway: Food with potential to propagate
Introduced status: Naturalized
Invasive status: Under watch
Year of first record: 1966
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Native: Pacific south and central coasts of south america, from Southern Baja California, Mexico to Peru. Introduced: Galapagos Islands
- Hickman, C.P. Jr. Zimmerman, T.L. (2000) A Field Guide to Crustaceans of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 156 pp.
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.
- Carlton, J. T. Keith, I., & Ruiz, G. M. (2019) Assessing marine bioinvasions in the Galápagos islands: Implications for conservation biology and marine protected areas. Aquatic Invasions, 14(1), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.3391/ai.2019.14.1.01
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Feeding type: Detritivorous