Johngarthia lagostoma
| Johngarthia lagostoma | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Yellow morph of J. lagostoma | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum: | Crustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Gecarcinidae |
| Genus: | Johngarthia |
| Species: | J. lagostoma |
| Binomial name | |
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Johngarthia lagostoma (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837) |
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| Synonyms | |
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Gecarcinus lagostoma H. Milne-Edwards, 1837 |
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| External identifiers for Johngarthia lagostoma | |
|---|---|
| Encyclopedia of Life | 19637087 |
| WoRMS | 444452 |
| Also found in: | |
Gecarcinus lagostoma H. Milne-Edwards, 1837
Johngarthia lagostoma is a species of terrestrial crab that lives on Ascension Island and three other islands in the South Atlantic. It grows to a carapace width of 110 mm (4.3 in) on Ascension Island, where it is the largest native land animal. It exists in two distinct colour morphs, one yellow and one purple, with few intermediates. The yellow morph dominates on Ascension Island, while the purple morph is more frequent on Atol das Rocas. The species differs from other Johngarthia species by the form of the third maxilliped.
Johngarthia lagostoma lives in burrows among vegetation, at altitudes of up to 400 m (1,300 ft), emerging at night to feed on plant matter and occasionally on animals. From January to March there is an annual migration to the sea to release the planktonic larvae. The species was first described (as Gecarcinus lagostoma) by Henri Milne-Edwards in 1837 from material sent to him by the naturalists Jean René Constant Quoy and Joseph Paul Gaimard, collected by the French ship Astrolabe.
Johngarthia lagostoma is found on Ascension Island, Ilha Trindade, Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas. On Ascension Island, J. lagostoma is restricted outside the breeding season to the slopes of Green Mountain, where there is sufficient moisture and vegetation, the rest of the island being too arid for the crab to survive. All the land above 400 metres (1,300 ft) is suitable habitat for the crabs, as is much of the land above 200 m (660 ft). They are occasionally found at lower altitudes, including the well-watered gardens of Georgetown, and the sooty tern breeding colony in the south-west of the island (known as the Wideawake Fairs). On Ilha Trindade, J. lagostoma is abundant wherever plants grow, included the highest parts of the island.
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Wikipedia