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47-472: See text Ocypode is a genus of ghost crabs found in the sandy shores of tropical and subtropical regions throughout the world. They have a box-like body, thick and elongated eyestalks, and one claw is larger than the other in both males and females. They inhabit deep burrows in the intertidal zone . They are primarily nocturnal , and are generalist scavengers and predators of small animals. The genus contains 21 species . The genus Ocypode

94-407: A genus is determined by taxonomists . The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: Moreover, genera should be composed of phylogenetic units of

141-643: A later homonym of a validly published name is a nomen illegitimum or nom. illeg. ; for a full list refer to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and the work cited above by Hawksworth, 2010. In place of the "valid taxon" in zoology, the nearest equivalent in botany is " correct name " or "current name" which can, again, differ or change with alternative taxonomic treatments or new information that results in previously accepted genera being combined or split. Prokaryote and virus codes of nomenclature also exist which serve as

188-621: A long time and redescribed as new by a range of subsequent workers, or if a range of genera previously considered separate taxa have subsequently been consolidated into one. For example, the World Register of Marine Species presently lists 8 genus-level synonyms for the sperm whale genus Physeter Linnaeus, 1758, and 13 for the bivalve genus Pecten O.F. Müller, 1776. Within the same kingdom, one generic name can apply to one genus only. However, many names have been assigned (usually unintentionally) to two or more different genera. For example,

235-409: A reference for designating currently accepted genus names as opposed to others which may be either reduced to synonymy, or, in the case of prokaryotes, relegated to a status of "names without standing in prokaryotic nomenclature". An available (zoological) or validly published (botanical) name that has been historically applied to a genus but is not regarded as the accepted (current/valid) name for

282-427: A taxon; however, the names published in suppressed works are made unavailable via the relevant Opinion dealing with the work in question. In botany, similar concepts exist but with different labels. The botanical equivalent of zoology's "available name" is a validly published name . An invalidly published name is a nomen invalidum or nom. inval. ; a rejected name is a nomen rejiciendum or nom. rej. ;

329-455: A total of c. 520,000 published names (including synonyms) as at end 2019, increasing at some 2,500 published generic names per year. "Official" registers of taxon names at all ranks, including genera, exist for a few groups only such as viruses and prokaryotes, while for others there are compendia with no "official" standing such as Index Fungorum for fungi, Index Nominum Algarum and AlgaeBase for algae, Index Nominum Genericorum and

376-608: A tuft of bristles (setae). The eyestalks are held vertically when the crab is active. Most species have pale-colored bodies that blend in well with the sand, though they are capable of gradually changing body coloration to match their environment and the time of day. The claw-bearing legs ( chelipeds ) of both sexes are unequal in size, with one much larger than the other. The palm of the claws also possess stridulating (sound-producing) ridges which they use for communication. These ridges are also important morphological characters useful for identifying species. The chelipeds are shorter than

423-409: A width of 50 mm (2.0 in). It is thickly covered with rough, small bumps (tubercles). Their eyestalks are large and elongated, but do not possess "horns" as in some other ghost crab species. The outer half of margins of the eye sockets curve distinctly inwards, with the outer edges (exorbital angles) triangular in shape with a sharp, forward-facing, pointed end. Like other ghost crabs, one of

470-596: Is discouraged by both the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , there are some five thousand such names in use in more than one kingdom. For instance, A list of generic homonyms (with their authorities), including both available (validly published) and selected unavailable names, has been compiled by the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). The type genus forms

517-618: Is narrow and aligned along the middle of the operculum. Gulf ghost crabs live in burrows near the intertidal zone of open sandy beaches and on sand and silt banks near where river mouths empty into the sea. Larger individuals usually have burrows further up the shore, while smaller individuals are closer to the waves. They are nocturnal , emerging from their burrows just after sunset. They are fast-moving generalist scavengers and predators , usually feeding on decaying bodies of fish and other crustaceans . They are also devastating predators of eggs and hatchlings of sea turtles, including

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564-460: Is somewhat arbitrary. Although all species within a genus are supposed to be "similar", there are no objective criteria for grouping species into genera. There is much debate among zoologists about whether enormous, species-rich genera should be maintained, as it is extremely difficult to come up with identification keys or even character sets that distinguish all species. Hence, many taxonomists argue in favor of breaking down large genera. For instance,

611-474: Is the type species , and the generic name is permanently associated with the type specimen of its type species. Should the specimen turn out to be assignable to another genus, the generic name linked to it becomes a junior synonym and the remaining taxa in the former genus need to be reassessed. In zoological usage, taxonomic names, including those of genera, are classified as "available" or "unavailable". Available names are those published in accordance with

658-621: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ; the earliest such name for any taxon (for example, a genus) should then be selected as the " valid " (i.e., current or accepted) name for the taxon in question. Consequently, there will be more available names than valid names at any point in time; which names are currently in use depending on the judgement of taxonomists in either combining taxa described under multiple names, or splitting taxa which may bring available names previously treated as synonyms back into use. "Unavailable" names in zoology comprise names that either were not published according to

705-799: The International Plant Names Index for plants in general, and ferns through angiosperms, respectively, and Nomenclator Zoologicus and the Index to Organism Names for zoological names. Totals for both "all names" and estimates for "accepted names" as held in the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) are broken down further in the publication by Rees et al., 2020 cited above. The accepted names estimates are as follows, broken down by kingdom: The cited ranges of uncertainty arise because IRMNG lists "uncertain" names (not researched therein) in addition to known "accepted" names;

752-399: The cornea occupying most of the lower portion. The eyestalks are also tipped with horn-like projections (styles) in seven species ( Ocypode brevicornis , O. ceratophthalma , O. gaudichaudii , O. macrocera , O. mortoni , O. rotundata , and O. saratan ), though these may be shorter or even absent altogether in juvenile specimens. In O. cursor the eyestalks are tipped with

799-459: The family Ocypodidae . Ghost crabs of the genus Hoplocypode can be distinguished from those in Ocypode by examining their gonopods. In the former, the first gonopod has a complex hoof-shaped tip, while in the latter they are simple and curved. Ocypode ghost crabs have deep box-like bodies. The regions on the carapace are usually not clearly defined. They have thick and elongated eyestalks with

846-399: The genus Hoplocypode . Gulf ghost crabs are medium-sized, reaching a maximum overall body diameter of 6 in (15 cm). They are one of only two ghost crab species found in the eastern Pacific (the other being the painted ghost crabs ). However, gulf ghost crabs can easily be distinguished from painted ghost crabs by the absence of "horns" on their eyes. Hoplocypode occidentalis

893-419: The nomenclature codes , which allow each species a single unique name that, for animals (including protists ), plants (also including algae and fungi ) and prokaryotes ( bacteria and archaea ), is Latin and binomial in form; this contrasts with common or vernacular names , which are non-standardized, can be non-unique, and typically also vary by country and language of usage. Except for viruses ,

940-404: The platypus belongs to the genus Ornithorhynchus although George Shaw named it Platypus in 1799 (these two names are thus synonyms ) . However, the name Platypus had already been given to a group of ambrosia beetles by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1793. A name that means two different things is a homonym . Since beetles and platypuses are both members of the kingdom Animalia,

987-442: The base for higher taxonomic ranks, such as the family name Canidae ("Canids") based on Canis . However, this does not typically ascend more than one or two levels: the order to which dogs and wolves belong is Carnivora ("Carnivores"). The numbers of either accepted, or all published genus names is not known precisely; Rees et al., 2020 estimate that approximately 310,000 accepted names (valid taxa) may exist, out of

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1034-433: The body is generally dark gray with lighter colored marbling. The underside of the body, the tips of the walking legs, and the claws are creamy white. Their coloration varies, usually matching the color of the sand surrounding them, but they are easier to see on black volcanic sand and on light-colored dry sand. The carapace is squarish in shape and wider than it is long, with a length around 43 mm (1.7 in) and

1081-426: The claw appendages ( chelipeds , the first pereiopod pair) of gulf ghost crabs is much bigger than the other. The palm of the larger cheliped is elongated with a serrated lower edge and covered with tubercles on the upper surface. It features stridulating (sound-producing) ridges on the inner surface of the palm, which is important for identifying different species within the subfamily Ocypodinae. In gulf ghost crabs,

1128-446: The form "author, year" in zoology, and "standard abbreviated author name" in botany. Thus in the examples above, the genus Canis would be cited in full as " Canis Linnaeus, 1758" (zoological usage), while Hibiscus , also first established by Linnaeus but in 1753, is simply " Hibiscus L." (botanical usage). Each genus should have a designated type , although in practice there is a backlog of older names without one. In zoology, this

1175-727: The generic name (or its abbreviated form) still forms the leading portion of the scientific name, for example, Canis lupus lupus for the Eurasian wolf subspecies, or as a botanical example, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus . Also, as visible in the above examples, the Latinised portions of the scientific names of genera and their included species (and infraspecies, where applicable) are, by convention, written in italics . The scientific names of virus species are descriptive, not binomial in form, and may or may not incorporate an indication of their containing genus; for example,

1222-628: The largest component, with 23,236 ± 5,379 accepted genus names, of which 20,845 ± 4,494 are angiosperms (superclass Angiospermae). By comparison, the 2018 annual edition of the Catalogue of Life (estimated >90% complete, for extant species in the main) contains currently 175,363 "accepted" genus names for 1,744,204 living and 59,284 extinct species, also including genus names only (no species) for some groups. The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups. For instance, among (non-avian) reptiles , which have about 1180 genera,

1269-440: The legs are naked, but the propodi possess fur-like bristles (setae) on for the first three walking leg pairs varying by sex. In males, the propodi of the first and second pair of walking legs have their upper forward surfaces covered with setae. The propodi of the third pair of walking legs only have setae on the upper margin of the propodi. In females, the propodi of the third and last pair of walking legs do not possess bristles on

1316-545: The lizard genus Anolis has been suggested to be broken down into 8 or so different genera which would bring its ~400 species to smaller, more manageable subsets. Hoplocypode The gulf ghost crab , Hoplocypode occidentalis , is a species of ghost crabs native to the Pacific coast of the Americas , from the Gulf of California to Colombia . It is the only species in

1363-403: The most (>300) have only 1 species, ~360 have between 2 and 4 species, 260 have 5–10 species, ~200 have 11–50 species, and only 27 genera have more than 50 species. However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each. The largest flowering plant genus, Astragalus , contains over 3,000 species. Which species are assigned to a genus

1410-428: The name could not be used for both. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published the replacement name Ornithorhynchus in 1800. However, a genus in one kingdom is allowed to bear a scientific name that is in use as a generic name (or the name of a taxon in another rank) in a kingdom that is governed by a different nomenclature code. Names with the same form but applying to different taxa are called "homonyms". Although this

1457-509: The olive Ridley sea turtle ( Lepidochelys olivacea ) and the leatherback sea turtle ( Dermochelys coriacea ). In Playa Grande, Costa Rica , they've been observed to be responsible for as much as 48% of the total number of deaths in freshly hatched sea turtles crossing the beaches towards the water. Gulf ghost crabs are native to the eastern Pacific coast of the Americas, from the Gulf of California to Colombia . They are sympatric with

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1504-510: The painted ghost crab ( Ocypode gaudichaudii ), and juvenile specimens of the two smaller than 5 by 6 mm (0.20 by 0.24 in) are very difficult to tell apart. However, the adults are readily distinguishable, as painted ghost crabs are brightly colored and possess "horns" (styles) on their eyestalks which are absent in gulf ghost crabs. Painted ghost crabs also prefer sheltered rocky beaches, while gulf coast crabs are found on open sandy beaches. Gulf ghost crabs also superficially resemble

1551-526: The provisions of the ICZN Code, e.g., incorrect original or subsequent spellings, names published only in a thesis, and generic names published after 1930 with no type species indicated. According to "Glossary" section of the zoological Code, suppressed names (per published "Opinions" of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature) remain available but cannot be used as the valid name for

1598-567: The rest of the members of the genus Ocypode . It is classified under the ghost crab subfamily Ocypodinae in the family Ocypodidae . The specific name is from Latin occidentalis ("western"). They are commonly known as the "gulf ghost crab" in English and cangrejo de playa in Spanish . Gulf ghost crabs are medium-sized ghost crabs with deep bodies, reaching a maximum overall body diameter of 6 in (15 cm). The upper surface of

1645-466: The same kind as other (analogous) genera. The term "genus" comes from Latin genus , a noun form cognate with gignere ('to bear; to give birth to'). The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum , but the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) is considered "the founder of the modern concept of genera". The scientific name (or

1692-408: The scientific epithet) of a genus is also called the generic name ; in modern style guides and science, it is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature , the system of naming organisms , where it is combined with the scientific name of a species : see Botanical name and Specific name (zoology) . The rules for the scientific names of organisms are laid down in

1739-497: The specific name particular to the wolf. A botanical example would be Hibiscus arnottianus , a particular species of the genus Hibiscus native to Hawaii. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany . When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus . Where species are further subdivided,

1786-412: The standard format for a species name comprises the generic name, indicating the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the specific epithet, which (within that genus) is unique to the species. For example, the gray wolf 's scientific name is Canis lupus , with Canis ( Latin for 'dog') being the generic name shared by the wolf's close relatives and lupus (Latin for 'wolf') being

1833-413: The stridulating ridge is short and composed of a row of 21 to 22 tubercles. The smaller cheliped tapers towards a pointed end. The second pair of walking legs are not more than two and a half times the length of the carapace. The fourth pair is relatively smaller and weaker in comparison to the other three pairs, reaching only to the middle of the propodus of the third pair. The mera and carpi of all

1880-403: The taxon is termed a synonym ; some authors also include unavailable names in lists of synonyms as well as available names, such as misspellings, names previously published without fulfilling all of the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural code, and rejected or suppressed names. A particular genus name may have zero to many synonyms, the latter case generally if the genus has been known for

1927-424: The upper surfaces of their propodi. The first gonopods (modified copulatory organs) of males are also distinctively complex in shape, with a triangular cross-section at the base and becoming hoof-like towards the end. This characteristic is one of the diagnostic criteria for the genus. The covering (operculum) of the genital duct of the females has four sides and is membranous and slightly calcified. The genital slit

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1974-566: The values quoted are the mean of "accepted" names alone (all "uncertain" names treated as unaccepted) and "accepted + uncertain" names (all "uncertain" names treated as accepted), with the associated range of uncertainty indicating these two extremes. Within Animalia, the largest phylum is Arthropoda , with 151,697 ± 33,160 accepted genus names, of which 114,387 ± 27,654 are insects (class Insecta). Within Plantae, Tracheophyta (vascular plants) make up

2021-429: The virus species " Salmonid herpesvirus 1 ", " Salmonid herpesvirus 2 " and " Salmonid herpesvirus 3 " are all within the genus Salmonivirus ; however, the genus to which the species with the formal names " Everglades virus " and " Ross River virus " are assigned is Alphavirus . As with scientific names at other ranks, in all groups other than viruses, names of genera may be cited with their authorities, typically in

2068-607: The walking legs. The last pair of walking legs ( pereiopods ) is also usually shorter and thinner than the other pairs of walking legs. A cavity, with edges fringed by long setae are also found in between the bases of the second and third walking legs. Ocypode ghost crabs construct simple to complex deep burrows in soft sandy and/or muddy substrates. They can be found in sandy beaches, rubble flats, and in estuarine areas. They are nocturnal and are generalist scavengers and predators of small animals. Ocypode ghost crabs are found in tropical and subtropical regions throughout

2115-812: The world. Three species are found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and one in the eastern Pacific coast of the Americas. The rest of the species are found in the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean to the tip of southern Africa . Ocypode currently contains 21 valid species. The ghost crab formerly known as O. occidentalis was transferred to its own genus Hoplocypode in 2013. O. longicornuta , O. platytarsis , O. pygoides and O. sinensis were determined to be synonyms of O. ceratophthalma , O. brevicornis , O. convexa and O. cordimanus respectively. Genus The composition of

2162-455: Was first described by the American marine biologist William Stimpson in 1860 as Ocypoda occidentalis . The type specimens were originally collected from Cabo San Lucas , Baja California , Mexico . It was transferred to its own genus Hoplocypode in 2013 by Katsushi Sakai and Michael Türkay based on the differences of their gonopods (appendages modified into copulatory organs) from that of

2209-482: Was first established by the German entomologist Friedrich Weber in 1795, using the type species Cancer ceratophthalmus described by the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas in 1772. Ocypode was previously the only genus classified under the ghost crab subfamily Ocypodinae until 2013, when Katsushi Sakai and Michael Türkay reclassified the gulf ghost crab into a separate genus, Hoplocypode . It belongs to

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