Gecarcinus ruricola
species of crustacean
Gecarcinus ruricola is a species of terrestrial crab. It is the most terrestrial of the Caribbean land crabs, and is found from western Cuba across the Antilles as far east as Barbados. Common names for G. ruricola include the purple land crab, black land crab, red land crab, and zombie crab.
Description
Four colour morphs exist within the species - black, red, yellow, and green. The carapace of G. ruricola grows slowly, with the crabs reaching maturity after 5 years, and living for over 10 years. Their true lifespan is not known. G. ruricola crabs have a number of adaptations to terrestrial life, mostly regarding water conservation. They are nocturnal, to prevent the hot sun from drying them out. They also have a "nephritic pad", onto which urine is released, to be cleaned by microbes before the water is then reabsorbed.
Distribution
G. ruricola is found across much of the Caribbean, from Cuba and the Bahamas in the west through the Antilles to Barbados in the east.
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