Benoît Segerer
Info
Aratus pisonii (H. Milne Edwards, 1837)
The mangrove crab lives on mangrove trees in tropical and subtropical parts of America, from Florida to Brazil on the Atlantic coast.
Aratus pisonii is a small species with an average male size of about 2 cm. Females remain somewhat smaller.
The big eyes are wide apart. The carapace is wider at the front than at the back. The mottled brown and olive green coloring helps the crab blend into its surroundings. The legs are either brown or spotted. There are tufts of black hair at their ends. The pointed ends of the legs make it easier for the crab to climb the mangrove foliage.
The mangrove tree crab is found in tropical and semitropical regions along the coasts of North, Central and South America. On the Atlantic side, its range extends from Florida to northern Brazil, including the entire Caribbean region. It lives primarily on the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle, but is also found on the white mangrove Laguncularia racemosa and the black mangrove Avicennia germinans, where it climbs the trees as the tide rises and descends into the exposed mud as the tide goes down.
The small crab feeds mainly on the leaves of mangroves, but is omnivorous and prefers animal food when possible. This is not surprising considering that mangrove leaves have little nutritional value. Aratus pisonii eats the epidermis of the leaves and characteristic scratch marks indicate where it has eaten. It also eats organic waste and algae and feeds opportunistically on carrion and small invertebrates, including polychaete worms, nematodes and foraminifera. They also feed on the decaying tissue of mangrove roots and the feces of other mangrove animals.
The mangrove crab itself becomes prey for birds, land mammals and larger crabs.
In northern Brazil, breeding occurs over a longer period but peaks in the rainy season. Female mangrove tree crabs carry the fertilized eggs under their abdominal flap until they are ready to hatch. While there, it moves to the edge of the mangrove area, where conditions are better for developing embryos and releasing the newly hatched larvae into the sea. The larvae go through four zoea stages and one megalopa stage over the course of a month as part of the plankton.
The species name "pisonii" is reminiscent of the Dutch naturalist Willem Piso, who traveled to Brazil with Georg Marggraf in 1638.
There is a possibility of confusion with Aratus pacificus, which occurs from Nicaragua to Peru on the Pacific coast.
Synonymised names:
Aratus pisoni H. Milne Edwards, 1837 · unaccepted > unjustified emendation
Sesarma pisonii H. Milne Edwards, 1837 · unaccepted > superseded combination
The mangrove crab lives on mangrove trees in tropical and subtropical parts of America, from Florida to Brazil on the Atlantic coast.
Aratus pisonii is a small species with an average male size of about 2 cm. Females remain somewhat smaller.
The big eyes are wide apart. The carapace is wider at the front than at the back. The mottled brown and olive green coloring helps the crab blend into its surroundings. The legs are either brown or spotted. There are tufts of black hair at their ends. The pointed ends of the legs make it easier for the crab to climb the mangrove foliage.
The mangrove tree crab is found in tropical and semitropical regions along the coasts of North, Central and South America. On the Atlantic side, its range extends from Florida to northern Brazil, including the entire Caribbean region. It lives primarily on the red mangrove Rhizophora mangle, but is also found on the white mangrove Laguncularia racemosa and the black mangrove Avicennia germinans, where it climbs the trees as the tide rises and descends into the exposed mud as the tide goes down.
The small crab feeds mainly on the leaves of mangroves, but is omnivorous and prefers animal food when possible. This is not surprising considering that mangrove leaves have little nutritional value. Aratus pisonii eats the epidermis of the leaves and characteristic scratch marks indicate where it has eaten. It also eats organic waste and algae and feeds opportunistically on carrion and small invertebrates, including polychaete worms, nematodes and foraminifera. They also feed on the decaying tissue of mangrove roots and the feces of other mangrove animals.
The mangrove crab itself becomes prey for birds, land mammals and larger crabs.
In northern Brazil, breeding occurs over a longer period but peaks in the rainy season. Female mangrove tree crabs carry the fertilized eggs under their abdominal flap until they are ready to hatch. While there, it moves to the edge of the mangrove area, where conditions are better for developing embryos and releasing the newly hatched larvae into the sea. The larvae go through four zoea stages and one megalopa stage over the course of a month as part of the plankton.
The species name "pisonii" is reminiscent of the Dutch naturalist Willem Piso, who traveled to Brazil with Georg Marggraf in 1638.
There is a possibility of confusion with Aratus pacificus, which occurs from Nicaragua to Peru on the Pacific coast.
Synonymised names:
Aratus pisoni H. Milne Edwards, 1837 · unaccepted > unjustified emendation
Sesarma pisonii H. Milne Edwards, 1837 · unaccepted > superseded combination
