Horn-eyed ghost crab

Ocypode ceratophthalmus

''Ocypode ceratophthalmus'', the horned ghost crab or horn-eyed ghost crab, is a species of ghost crab. It lives in the Indo-Pacific region ; from the coast of East Africa to the Philippines and from Japan to the Great Barrier Reef. They also occur in the Pacific Islands to as far east as Polynesia and Clipperton Island. As their common name implies, ''O. ceratophthalmus'' possess eyestalks extending beyond the eyes into long points, which are longer in adults, and shorter in juveniles. The crabs have a box-shaped body, 6–8 centimetres across the carapace, with a darker markings towards the rear in the shape of an H. The outer edges of the eye-sheaths are also sharp and broadly triangular and distinctly pointing sideways in larger individuals. ''O. ceratophthalmus'' can run at speeds of up to 2.1 metres per second .

The characteristic "horned" eyes of ''O. ceratophthalmus'' are not unique to the species, and it should not be confused with other ghost crabs which also exhibit "horns" on the end of their eyestalks such as ''O. cursor'', ''O. gaudichaudii'', ''O. macrocera'', ''O. mortoni'', ''O. rotundata'', and ''O. saratan''.
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassMalacostraca
OrderDecapoda
FamilyOcypodidae
GenusOcypode
SpeciesO. ceratophthalmus
Photographed in
India