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Scopimera sp.
Spotted at Bolo Beach, Alaminos City, Pangasinan. Needed a break from the caves so we went to the beach...
Sand bubbler crabs live in burrows in the sand, where they remain during high tide. When the tide is out, they emerge on to the surface of the sand, and scour the sand for food, forming it into inflated pellets, which cover the sand. The crabs work radially from the entrance to their burrow, which they re-enter as the tide rises and destroys the pellets. The material consumed by sand bubbler crabs has a very low concentration of organic matter, which is concentrated by egestion of indigestible material. -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_bubbler_crab
Photos by Jerry Rendon.
JC Mendoza (Phil. Biodiversity Net) commented: Yup, Scopimera sp. There are a few species known from around the region. This one could be S. bitympana or S. globosa.
If so, then it would be a new species record for the Philippines as only S. philippinensis (from central Philippines) has been recorded from the archipelago thus far. But of course, a voucher specimen deposited in a reputable institution, like the National Museum of the Philippines, would be needed to make that official. And that would help the research community too, so they can continue to give reliable IDs to requests made here =) (http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2011/f/zt...)
Here are some great videos of these eating and borrowing: http://wn.com/Sand_Bubbler_Crabs
Spotted on May 13, 2012
Submitted on May 14, 2012
