Ar.15 Emerita sp (Sand Crab)

 

 Ar.15                                                            Emerita sp (Sand Crab)

 

 

Phylum   : Arthropoda

Class       : Maxillopoda

Order      : Decapoda

Family    : Hippoidea

Genus     : Emerita sp.

 

 

Description: Emerita has a barrel-shaped body. It has a tough exoskeleton and can hold its appendages close to the body, allowing it to roll in the tidal currents and waves. It has feathery antennae, which are used to filter plankton and detritus from the swash. The genus as a whole has a broad distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. Most individual species, however, are restricted to smaller areas, and their ranges rarely overlap. The genus is common on both coasts of the United States and along the Atlantic coast of Africa; the related genus Hippa is found across the Indo-Pacific, including Australia.