User:Font153/Emerita talpoida

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Emerita talpoida, known generally as the Atlantic mole crab or Atlantic sand crab, is a species of mole crab in the family Hippidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean and Mexico along the shoreline.

Range
The Atlantic mole crab inhabits the swash zone of sandy beaches from Cape Cod south to the gulf Coast of Mexico. It is one of the six New World Emerita species.

Ecology
Like other Emerita species, the Atlantic mole crab is a fossorial filter feeder. It requires moving water to feed and does so by burrowing backwards into the sand and uses its feathery antennae to filter algae, detritus, and plankton.

The Atlantic mole crab is an important food source for the Atlantic ghost crab, blue crab, and certain species of fish in the swash zone. Shorebirds, notably sanderlings have also been observed foraging for sand crabs. The combination of the their burrowing feeding strategy and camouflaged carapace assist in evading predation.

Because of they spend much of their life in the swash zone, they can serve as a bioindicator for the effects of large-scale engineering works.

Taxonomy
Emerita talpoida was oiginally recorded as Hippa talpoida in 1817. In 1879, a review of the family reassigned this and other species from the genus Hippa to the genus Emerita. The two are now considered sister genera.