Figure 22. Minuca rapax

Creator

Abby Hutchins, University of Northern IowaFollow
Amber Finke, University of Northern IowaFollow
Carl L. Thurman, University of Northern IowaFollow

Preview

Identifier

Figure 22

Medium

photograph

Date Created

5-2025

Keywords

Fiddler crabs;

Description

Alt Text: Composite photograph of the Minuca rapax fiddler crab which includes several black & white images of different views of the crab, a color photograph, and a distribution map.

Composite Image Description: Figure 22. Minuca rapax (Smith, 1870)*. UNI 478. Collected: 5- Sep- 1976, Mexico, Yucatan, San Felipe, Boca del Rio Lagartos, near military base (21.594013, -88.161615). Scale Bar = 10mm. (A) Dorsal view. (B) Front view. (C) Inner cheliped. (D) Ocular view. (E) Ambulatory. (F) Color Photo. (G) Distribution Map (Finke 2024).

Species Description: Large species (width < 32 mm). Carapace length 63% width; frontal region 31% carapace width (Fig. 22A). Eyestalks short. Carapace surface rough appearing with small tubercles but no pits. Anterolateral angles pointed inward slightly. Intersection of anterolateral and posterolateral lines forming smooth curve. Major cheliped with ridge on dorsal surface (Fig. 22A). Dactyl and pollex blade-like (Fig. 22B,C). Gap wide. Pollex with mid length large tubercle and terminus trifurcated. Dactyl with 3–4 larger tubercles proximal to articulation. Inner surface of cheliped with carpal carina terminating abruptly in palm (Fig. 22C). Predactyl ridge parallel to row of tubercles on dactyl articulating joint (clearly not curved toward palm and carpal cavity). Oblique ridge simple line of tubercles running from carpal cavity to ventral edge of manus. Proximal apex not prominent. On ambulatory legs, merus width 37% length, dorsal and lateral surfaces with pubescence and long setae (Fig 22A,E). Ventral surface no pubescence or long setae. Pantropical species, found from south Florida and Tabasco, Mx to Florianópolis, Santa Caterina, Brazil (Fig. 22G). * This is species is morphologically indistinguishable from Minuca virens (Fig 24).

Comments

This composite image is of the Minuca rapax fiddler crab. It is a part of the parent Fiddler Crabs Image Gallery collection at the University of Northern Iowa, which has images of Fiddler Crabs located in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico from the following genera: Afruca, Leptuca, Minuca, and Uca.

Object Description

1 PNG file

UNI Specimen Number

UNI 478

Year Collected

1976

Collection Location

21.594013, -88.161615

Gender

male

Copyright

©2025 Abby Hutchins, Amber Finke, and Carl L. Thurman

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Type

Image

Language

en

File Format

image/png

Recommended Citation

Hutchins, Abby; Finke, Amber; and Thurman, Carl L., "Figure 22. Minuca rapax" (2025). Fiddler Crabs Image Gallery. 17.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/fiddlercrabs/17