White Spotted Crab

Observation by Brian Holter:

While on our walk at the Craig Graveyard Beach, looking for clams to test for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, we found this little white spotted crab. The closest I can find to identify it would be the Purple Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus Nudus). We left it where it was found. I have lived on Prince of Whales most of my life and have never seen one that looks like this.

Comment by LEO Network:

Hi Brian. Thanks for sharing the observation. We are sharing this post with our friends at the Museum of the North at UAF, The College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, and with the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory in Kachemak Bay to help identify the species.

Comment by Katrin Iken, UAF College of Fisheries and Ocean Science:

Hmmm, I can buy that this is a shore crab although it has very unusual coloration and body proportions don't quite look right. It actually does look like a Vampire crab (genus Geosesarma) - but they do not occur in Alaska! They are a crab in Asia, for the most part (I think, I don't know much about them). They are semi-terrestrial and are a popular pet trade. So, unless somebody let one loose and it actually survived (so far), this is likely to be just a weird looking shore crab with a bit more squat carapace than typical.