Emerita (genus)
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| Image:Female-sand-crab-back.jpg A female Emerita analoga
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Emerita analoga |
Emerita is a genus of clawless oval-shaped crustaceans found on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of North and South America. Emerita are popularly known as mole crabs, sand fleas, sand crabs, or even more colloquially as lookie cookies. Although like true crabs they belong to the order Decapoda, they are classified in a different infraorder, Anomura (the true crabs are in the infraorder Brachyura).
Sand crabs live under sand in shallow water near the shore, and live from two to three years. They have the color of rippled sand at the water's edge and live mostly buried in the sand, with their antennae reaching into the water forming a "V" shaped obstacle in the water as the wave recedes. These antennae filter plankton and organic debris from the water. Mole crabs also eat the tentacles of Portuguese man o' war, which are collected by winding the tentacle around the mole crab's leg. Their camouflage protects them from their predators - chiefly fish and birds.
Females grow to about 35 mm long, and carry their bright orange colored eggs under their telson during the summer months until they are ready to hatch. Males are smaller, only reaching 20 mm, making the sexes easy to tell apart when fully grown.
Many people on the beaches of California collect and release the crabs while on the beach. If one is a keen observer, these small crustacea can be spotted by the "V's" they leave in the water as the tide recedes.
On the Atlantic coast, including Florida's Gulf coast, mole crabs are commonly known as "sand fleas". They are often caught with a special metal scoop, and used as live bait while beach fishing for ocean-going fish, including the pompano, speckled trout, and sea mullet <ref>Joe Malat (July 2005). Outer Banks of North Carolina Live Bait Options. Chesapeake Angler.</ref>.
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