Masked
burrowing crabs
Family Corystidae
updated
Dec 08
Where
seen? A live one was seen once at Labrador. Moults were
encountered on other shores with reefs.
Features: Body about 3cm.
The body is oval and abdomen folded beneath. Antennae are very long
and feather-like, legs flattened and spade-shaped. They are usually
buried in the sand with only their antennae sticking out. The interlocking
hairs on the antennae probably form a breathing tube for the buried
crab.
Status and threats: The species
Gomeza bicornis and Jonas formosae are listed as 'Vulnerable'
on the Red List of threatened animals of Singapore. |

Gomeza bicornis
Labrador, Dec 04
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Carrying eggs on the abdomen.
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Interlocking hairs on the antennae may
form a breathing tube.
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Pulau Sekudu, Jul 09
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Cyrene Reef, Aug 11
Photo shared by Lok Kok Sheng on his
blog.
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St. John's Island, Aug 09
Photo shared by Liana Tang on her
blog.
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References
- Davison,
G.W. H. and P. K. L. Ng and Ho Hua Chew, 2008. The Singapore
Red Data Book: Threatened plants and animals of Singapore.
Nature Society (Singapore). 285 pp.
- Humann, Paul
and Ned Deloach. 2010. Reef
Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific New World Publications.
497pp.
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