Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus, 1763)
Mangrove crab
Ucides cordatus
photo by Hirose, Gustavo

Family:  Ocypodidae (fiddler and ghost crabs)
Max. size:  10 cm CW (male/unsexed); max. reported age: 10 years
Environment:  benthic; brackish; marine; depth range 0 - 1 m
Distribution:  Atlantic Ocean: from USA throughout the Antilles to Brazil.
Diagnosis:  Carapace broadly egg-shaped, narrow posteriorly, its length slightly less than 4/5 of width, strongly convex longitudinally, nearly subcylindrical in midline, and smooth but with regions well outlined; lateral marginal ridges regularly curved, not divided into lobes, converging posteriorly; fronto-orbital distance (space between outer orbital angles) not more than 2/3 of maximum carapace width in adult males. Pincers elongate, usually somewhat dissimilar and unequal in both sexes, armed with sometimes strong spines or sharp tubercles on inner margins; fingers of major hand slightly longer than palm; dactyls of walking legs ridged but not spiny, legs of males bearing very low silky hairs. Color: carapace usually bluish with some yellowish areas, legs pinkish; hairs on legs grey to almost black, lateral margins of carapace dark in adults.
Biology: 
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

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