''Leptuca terpsichores'', commonly known as the dancing fiddler crab, is a species of
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 ...
native to the eastern Pacific coast of the
Americas
The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...
, from
Nicaragua
Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...
to
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
.
[
]
Taxonomy
Previously a member of the genus '' Uca'', the species was transferred in 2016 to the genus ''Leptuca
''Leptuca'' is a genus of fiddler crabs belonging to the family Ocypodidae.
The species of this genus are found on the coasts of the Americas.
Description
They are small- to large-sized crabs with an adult carapace width of 5–25 mm in adu ...
'' when ''Leptuca'' was promoted from subgenus to genus level.[ At one time, the species was considered a subspecies of '' L. musica''.][
]
Description
The adult 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 ...
is approximately 7 mm wide.[ The carapace is grey in color and males may exhibit yellow dorsal markings.][
]
Similar species
''Leptuca terpsichores'' is smaller than '' L. musica''.[ ''L. terpsichores'' has smaller tubercles on the outer manus and fewer tubercles along the anterior carapace.][ The gape in the major cheliped is less serrate and the gape in the minor cheliped is slightly narrower.][
]
Habitat
The species can be found on bay shores with muddy sand substrate.[
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q107086621
Ocypodoidea
Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean
Taxa named by Jocelyn Crane
Crustaceans described in 1941