Lophomastix japonica Spiny Sand Crab

This is a Lophomastix japonica spiny sand crab, which is a cryptic species few people have seen in the wild. It lives in sandy environments of the Sea of Japan, the Pacific coast of the Japanese Islands, the coast of South and North Korea and the northern part of the Yellow Sea. These crabs burrow in the substrate and are also known as mole crabs. I believe this crab and others I encountered had surfaced for molting and reproduction. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.

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Filename: lophomastix-japonica-spiny-sand-crab-202311-0244.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 6576x4384 / 83.8MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Crustacean Spiny Sand Crab Spiny Mole Crab Animalia Arthropoda Crustacea Malacostraca Decapoda Blepharipodidae Lophomastix japonica Kita-kuda-hige-gani Pacific Japan Hokkaido
Contained in galleries: Marine Life Reproduction, Crustaceans, Marine Life | Japan

This is a Lophomastix japonica spiny sand crab, which is a cryptic species few people have seen in the wild. It lives in sandy environments of the Sea of Japan, the Pacific coast of the Japanese Islands, the coast of South and North Korea and the northern part of the Yellow Sea. These crabs burrow in the substrate and are also known as mole crabs. I believe this crab and others I encountered had surfaced for molting and reproduction. Photographed in Hokkaido, Japan.