Gecarcinus lateralis ( Fréminville, 1835 )

Parasram, Nadeshinie, Santana, William & Vallès, Henri, 2021, Updated checklist of semi-terrestrial and estuarine crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura) of Barbados, West Indies, Zootaxa 5052 (4), pp. 451-485 : 466-467

Gecarcinus lateralis ( Fréminville, 1835)

Fig. 8 A, B, C, D

Ocypoda lateralis Fréminville, 1835: 224 [type-localities: Martinique, Guadeloupe, Marie Galante, La Désirade, Iles des Saintes].

Gecarcinus depressus De Saussure, 1858: 439 , pl. 2, fig. 14 [type-locality: Republic of Haiti].

Gecarcinus lateralis —Rathbun 1900: 14; 1918: 355, fig. 101 a–b, pls. 110, 120; 1933: 95, fig. 21, pl. 18 f, 1–3; 1920: 19; 1922: 79; 1933: 95, fig. 91, pl. 18 f, 1–3. Keith 1985: 274, fig. 12 A. Chace & Hobbs 1969: 198, figs. 65, 67e –g. Ng et al. 2008: 215. Poupin 2018: 223. Ng et al. 2019: 99 , fig. 2F.

Material examined. Barbados, Long Pond , St.Andrew, sandy shore, 13̊ 15’40.6” N–59̊ 33’22.94” W, 5 ♂ CW: 40.5; 31.1; 28.5; 20.7; 16.5 mm ( BLSZ 004 ) . Barbados, Sandy Beach , Oistins, sandy shore, 13˚49’.56” N–59˚34’41.37” W, 1 ♀; 1 ♂ CW: 47.5; 54.6 mm ( BLSZ 131 ) .

Distribution. Gecarcinus lateralis is found in the Western Atlantic: Bermuda, Green Turtle Cay, Great Abaco Island, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Isla Mona, Puerto Rico, St Thomas, St Croix, St Martin, St Eustatius, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, Isla de Aves, Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, Barbados, Blanquilla, Tortuga, Orchila, Los Roques, Bonaire, Curaçao, and Aruba ( Chace & Hobbs 1969; Poupin 2018).

Distribution in Barbados. Island wide, all coastal areas on the west, north, east, and south coasts. Archers Bay, Green Pond, Long Pond, Lakes, Cattlewash, Bottom Bay, Graeme Hall, Brandons, Queens Fort, Cobblers Cove, & Maycocks [ Table 1 (Site #s: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 12, 13, 19, 23 & 27)].

Habitat in Barbados. Sandy shores above the high-tide mark and among coastal vegetation ( Fig. 2B : I).

Ecological notes. Gecarcinus lateralis was observed in sandy areas hidden among sparse vegetation of Sporobolus virginicus (L.), Paspalum distichum L., Ipomoea pes-caprae (L.) R. Br., Coccoloba uvifera (L.) L.,

Chrysobalanus icaco (L.), and Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. This species has been observed feeding occasionally on hawksbill sea turtle hatchlings Eretmochelys imbricata [( Linnaeus, 1766) (N. Parasram, Pers. Obs.)]. Gecarcinus lateralis inhabits a variety of habitats throughout its geographic range. It has been reported to occupy the backshore areas on sandy beaches, vegetation covered sand dunes, inland areas with thick vegetation, areas with loamy soil substrate, soil covered fossiliferous coral cliff walls, cultivated gardens, and areas with elevations of about 300 m ( Martinez & Bliss 1989).

Remarks. Rathbun (1921) reported three (3) specimens of Gecarcinus lateralis collected during the University of Iowa Barbados-Antigua Expedition in 1918. This species might be occasionally used for bait by local fishermen (Julia Horrocks, Pers. Com.).

Figures

FIGURE 2A. Semi-terrestrial and estuarine habitats of Barbados. A, B, Coastal Wetlands; C, D, Rocky Shores (Photos: N. Parasram).

FIGURE 8. Habitus of Gecarcinus lateralis (Fréminville, 1835) (BLSZ 313). A, B, dorsal view of male and female; C, D, ventral view of male and female. Scale bar: 20 mm.