''Cardisoma'' is a genus of large
land crab
A number of lineages of crabs have evolved to live predominantly on land. Examples of terrestrial crabs are found in the families Gecarcinidae and Gecarcinucidae, as well as in selected genera from other families, such as '' Sesarma'', altho ...
s. Three species formerly placed in this genus are now placed in ''
Discoplax
''Discoplax'' is a genus of terrestrial crabs. It is very closely related to the genera '' Cardisoma'' and '' Tuerkayana''.
''Discoplax'' contains the following species:
References
Further reading
*
Grapsoidea
Terrestrial crustac ...
''.
The four species that remain in ''Cardisoma'' are found in warm coastal regions where they live in burrows. Young individuals are often very colourful with a purple-blue
carapace
A carapace is a dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the unde ...
and orange-red legs (leading to a level of popularity in the pet trade), but as they grow older the colours tend to fade, and females may be duller than males. Although less extreme than in
fiddler crab
The fiddler crab or calling crab can be one of the hundred species of semiterrestrial marine crabs in the family Ocypodidae. These crabs are well known for their extreme sexual dimorphism, where the male crabs have a major claw significantly l ...
s, one claw is usually considerably larger than the other. They are
omnivore
An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize t ...
s, but primarily feed on plant material.
Species
The genus ''Cardisoma'' comprises these four species:
See also
* ''
Tuerkayana
''Tuerkayana'' is a genus of large land crabs. It was created from two members of the genus '' Cardisoma'' and two members of '' Discoplax'' in late 2018 after a re-examination of the taxonomy of the family Gecarcinidae. Said re-examination als ...
'' – a genus which holds crabs formerly found in ''
Discoplax
''Discoplax'' is a genus of terrestrial crabs. It is very closely related to the genera '' Cardisoma'' and '' Tuerkayana''.
''Discoplax'' contains the following species:
References
Further reading
*
Grapsoidea
Terrestrial crustac ...
'' and ''Cardisoma''
References
Grapsoidea
Terrestrial crustaceans
Decapod genera
Taxa named by Pierre André Latreille
{{Grapsoidea-stub