Ocypode ceratophthalma
SUMMARY
Quadrate (squarish) carapace without teeth on the anterolateral margins, orbits deep and broad, long eyestalks projecting beyond the obit. Regions of carapace are not well defined (indistinct). Setal tufts between coxa of periopods 3 and 4. The chelae in male crabs are not equal in size (unequal). All male abdominal segments are free and moveable. A diagnostic feature of O. ceratophthalma is the horned eyes that are absent in juvenile crabs but develop with successive moults and a course vertical stidulating ridge on inner palm of larger chela.
Vernacular name: Horned ghost crab.
Ocypode ceratophthalma, the horned ghost crab, is a terrestrial species inhabiting burrows in the lower supralittoral zone of sandy beaches. They are a fast and aggressive nocturnal species feeding on small animals found in the intertidal zone. They have even been known to attack turtle nestlings!