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Ocypoda arenaria Sa}^ 1817.<br />
Crabs of the Gulf of Mexico 141<br />
Junior synonym and invalid generic name for Ocypode quadrata. used by<br />
Cowles (1908) and some other early studies.<br />
Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius, 1787) (Mantissa insect . . ., vol. 1, p. 315)<br />
Common Names: Ghost Crab; Sand Crab; Racing Crab<br />
As O. albicans—Rathhxm, 1918, p. 367, pis. 127-128; Rathbun, 1933, p. 96, fig. 92.<br />
As O. quadrata—Hohhxiis, 1959, p. 259; Williams, 1965, p. 225, fig. 208; Chace &<br />
Hobbs, 1969, p. 204, figs. 68-69; Feldcr, 1973a, p. 82, pi. 12, figs. 5, 8.<br />
Range: Bermuda; Bahamas; Rhode Island to south Florida; Florida Keys and<br />
Dry Tort.ugas; west coast of Florida, around entire Gulf coast to Yucatan; north<br />
and south coasts of Cuba, through West Indies to Barbados; from Yucatan, along<br />
east coast of Central America and the north coast of South America to Estado de<br />
Santa Catarina, Brazil; most Caribbean Islands, including Netherlands Antilles,<br />
Old Providence Island, etc. Megalops have been collected as far north as<br />
Massachusetts.<br />
Habitat: on sandy beaches, from high v\'ater line to back dunes areas; younger<br />
crabs burrow closer to water line and among beach vegetation; along waveexposed<br />
shores, protected harbor beaches, ba3rs, intracoastal canals, and lagoons;<br />
juveniles are mainly diel and older adults are primarily nocturnal, depending<br />
on degree of disturbance by man and various environmental factors. Adults<br />
usually burrow well back from the waterline, but often feed at the driftline.<br />
Remarks: Regional lists include Florida (Wass, 1955; Menzel, 1971), Mississippi<br />
(Richmond, 1962), Louisiana (Behre, 1950; Hoese and Valentine, 1972),<br />
and Texas (Whitten, Rosene and Hedgpeth, 1950; Hedgpeth, 1953; Leary,<br />
1967; Fotheringham and Brunenmeister, 1975). Bright and Hogue (1972) include<br />
this species in their world-list of land crabs; listed from Brazil by Coelho<br />
(1971a), Coelhoand Ramos (1972), and Fausto Filho (1974).<br />
Diaz and Costlow (1972) described and illustrated larval stages raised under<br />
laboratory conditions. Haley (1969) provided data on growth and morphometries<br />
of Texas populations; reproductive C3^cling, female morphometries, and<br />
population d3^namics were covered in Haley (1967, 1972). Hughes (1973)<br />
described mating behavior in the laboratory and compared the mating functions<br />
of burrows in several ghost crab species. Population densities and interactions<br />
v\dth man were studied by Teerling (1970). Accounts of general natural history<br />
were provided by Cowles (1908) for populations in the Tortugas (as Ocypoda<br />
arenaria) and by Milne and Milne (1946) for New Jersey. Williams (1965)<br />
summarized many of the recent studies. Chace and Hobbs (1969) described<br />
color phases of Dominican populations. Burrow construction and ecology in<br />
Texas was reported by Hill and Hunter (1973) and predatory behavior on mole<br />
crabs was noted by Fales (1976). Schone (1968) investigated agonistic displays<br />
and these were also presented in a film (Schone and Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1965).<br />
Physiological studies include work on oxygen consumption (Pearse, 1929;<br />
Ayres, 1938; Vemberg, 1956; Gray, 1957), water relations and the role of the<br />
pericardial sac (Blass, 1963, 1968), ionic regulation and respiration (Flemister
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