Category: Crabs and Shrimp view all from this category

Description 1" (25 mm) long, 3/4" (19 mm) wide. Egg-shaped. Pale grayish-tan. Carapace convex, crosswise-creased line immediately behind beak, another curved one farther back; rear end of carapace smooth. 1st pair of antennae hairy; 2nd pair of antennae long, feathery, usually concealed under edge of carapace. Eyestalks long, slender. 1st pair of walking legs broad, sturdy, without pincers; 2nd, 3rd, and 4th pair less sturdy, leaflike; 5th pair very slender. Abdomen broad at front, tapering rapidly, with pair of forked, leaflike appendages, and long, spearhead-shaped tailpiece on last segment, bent forward underneath body.

Habitat On open sandy beaches; between high- and low-tide lines.

Range Cape Cod to Florida and Texas; Mexico.

Discussion This species is commonly used for bait, and can be collected in large numbers by attaching a wire mesh net to a common garden rake, and then raking the wave-swept beach.