Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas

Kauaʻi record · KCA-CR-000160

Horn-eyed Ghost Crab

Ocypode urvillii

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Horn-eyed Ghost Crab adult ecological reconstruction; identity follows the census canonical Ocypode urvillii.
Horn-eyed Ghost Crab adult ecological reconstruction; identity follows the census canonical Ocypode urvillii. · Kauaʻi Conservation Atlas · AI-generated Atlas reconstruction · primary_plate_complete

About Horn-eyed Ghost Crab

Horn-eyed Ghost Crab (Ocypode urvillii) is a fast-moving shore crab in the family Ocypodidae. Historical Hawaiian sources also used Ocypode ceratophthalmus and O. ceratophthalma for this record concept. Hawaiian museum literature describes it as abundant on sandy beaches, with burrows around the zone between tide marks, and published Hawaiian decapod records include Kauaʻi. The Atlas treats that evidence as documented occurrence rather than a current population estimate.

Names and classification

Scientific name
Ocypode urvillii
Common names
Horn-eyed Ghost Crab · Horned Ghost Crab
Other names
Ocypode ceratophthalmus · Ocypode ceratophthalma · ghost crab · ghost crabs · beach crab · sand crab · terrestrial crab
Family
Ocypodidae
Order
Decapoda
Record type
species

Kauaʻi occurrence and status

Kauaʻi occurrence
Documented from Kauaʻi
Origin
Indigenous
Conservation status
Not assessed

Process and seasonal context

Seasonal description
Horn-eyed Ghost Crab is an indigenous Indo-Pacific ghost crab documented from Kauaʻi. It digs burrows in exposed sandy beaches around the intertidal zone; this Atlas record does not infer current abundance from historical documentation.

Sources and further reading

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