Ar.82 Dotilla myctiroides (Sand bubbler crab)
Ar.82 Dotilla myctiroides (Sand bubbler crab)
Kingdom : Animalia
Phylum : Arthropoda
Subphylum : Crustacea
Class : Malacostraca
Order : Decapoda
Family : Dotillidae
Genus : Dotilla
Species : myctiroides
Description: Dotilla myctiroides is a
species of sand bubbler crab found on tropical shores and mud-flats of India,
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore and Sri Lanka. They breed throughout
the year but activity peaks during the monsoons. This species builds a burrow,
called an "igloo", in unstable sand as well as in well-drained and
firm sand. In building the igloo, the crab excavates sand and forms it into
spherical pellets. These pellets are used to form a circular wall and roof in
the burrow. The resulting structure holds a small amount of air in addition to
the crab itself.
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