The purple morph of the Ascension Island Land Crab (Johngarthia lagostoma) at Devil's Ashpit on Ascension Island
Johngarthia lagostoma is a species of terrestrial crab that lives on Ascension Island and three other islands in the South Atlantic. It is found on Ilha Trindade, Fernando de Noronha and Atol das Rocas in addition to Ascension Island. It exists in two distinct colour morphs, one yellow or orange and one purple, with few intermediates. The yellow morph dominates on Ascension Island, while the purple morph is more frequent on Atol das Rocas. This species differs from other Johngarthia species by the form of the third maxilliped. It lives in burrows among vegetation, at altitudes of up to 400 m (1,300 ft), emerging at night to feed on plant matter and occasionally on animals. From January to March there is an annual migration to the sea to release the planktonic larvae.
Size: 4077px × 2718px
Location: Devil's Ashpit, Ascension Island, South Atlantic
Photo credit: © Robert Kennett / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: adult, adults, animal, animals, arthropoda, ascension, atlantic, crab, crustacean, gecarcinidae, green, island, johngarthia, lagostoma, land, land-crab, morph, mountain, nature, ocean, orange, purple, volcanic, wildlife, yellow
