Crab eating crab: first record of the Horn-eyed Ghost Crab Ocypode brevicornis> preying on the Mottled Light-footed Crab <Grapsus albolineatus in Visakhapatnam, India
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.10001.17.11.28001-28003Keywords:
Diet, foraging, ghost crab, intertidal zone, Ocypodidae, predationAbstract
Predator-prey interactions are key ecological processes that regulate communities in the intertidal zone. Here, we report a previously unrecorded predation event in which the Horn-eyed Ghost Crab Ocypode brevicornis, which usually occupies the sandy shores, was handling a Mottled Light-footed Crab Grapsus albolineatus, which usually occupies the rocky habitat. This observation suggests occasional nocturnal foraging of ghost crabs in rocky sections, likely limited to areas where sandy and rocky habitats co-occur. These findings highlight habitat-driven predator–prey dynamics and provide new insights into the ecological role of apex invertebrate predators in intertidal zones.
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