Crab ID please.

PUHUCBLMX2

Exodon
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2013
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23
Costa Rica
Hello carcinologist and other crustacean enthusiast.

I caught this little guy in Costa Rica and would like a little help on IDing him/it.

Caught in a freshwater pond, at least 105km from the ocean at 1100m in elevation.

I am unaware if it is a fully aquatic species. However, most other crabs in CR are fairly terrestrial, and there is usually ample evidence of them, i.e. holes in the bank just above the water line. They also seem to be at lower elevation and closer to the coast and when they are present they are present in large numbers.

Not this little guy, he was caught in the water, not overly near the bank. Furthermore there was no evidence of crab holes all around the pond parameter, I took care looking for them, didn't see a single one. Also there is definitely a population of them. Crab2.JPG

Sorry about the pics. I wish I could have taken more pics and better angles, but my camera battery was almost done.

Crab1.JPG

Crab2.JPG
 

Oddball

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Hard to tell with shaded lighting and dirt on it. It's likely of the Genus; Ptychophallus (Mountain crabs). There are nearly 30 species of FW crabs in Costa Rica so, any positive ID will require proper pics and measurements. BTW, many species of this genus are secondary hosts of parasitic lung flukes so take precautions when handling them.
 

PUHUCBLMX2

Exodon
MFK Member
Dec 25, 2013
162
3
23
Costa Rica
Thanks Oddball.

I am sure you are right. someone posted a pic on flickr and called something like it a mountain crab. It is hard to find much information about them.

Do you know if they are fully aquatic? How big do they get?

Sorry about the dirt, after the first 2 pics I got the idea of washing him off and either the motion or being back in the pond "woke him up" he gave a nice pinch and almost escaped. While trying to contain him, my camera battery failed.
 

Oddball

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Nearly all of the mountain crab species are semi-aquatic and will forage in the surrounding leaf litter. There are several species considered to be micro-crabs (1cm or less) that remain fully aquatic.
 
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