Emerita (crustacean)

Emerita has a barrel-shaped body. It has a tough exoskeleton and can hold its appendages close to the body, allowing it to roll in the tidal currents and waves. It has feathery antennae, which are used to filter plankton and detritus from the swash. ==Distribution==

The genus as a whole has a broad distribution in tropical and subtropical regions. Most individual species, however, are restricted to smaller areas, and their ranges rarely overlap. The genus is common on both coasts of the United States and along the Atlantic coast of Africa; the related genus Hippa is found across the Indo-Pacific, including Australia. ==Species==

Twelve species are recognised: The Old World species had been widely thought to form a monophyletic group, as did the New World species. The use of molecular phylogenetics has shown, however, that E. analoga, a species living along the Pacific coast of North America, is more closely related to African species than it is to other New World species. ==Taxonomy==

The genus Emerita was erected by Giovanni Antonio Scopoli in his 1777 work Introductio ad Historiam Naturalem. The type species is Cancer emeritus (now E. emeritus), because at one time, it was the only species in the genus. ==Ecology and behaviour==

Emerita is adept at burrowing, and is capable of burying itself completely in 1.5 seconds. During this action, the carapace is pressed into the sand as anchorage for the digging limbs. Seabirds also eat Emerita, but do not appear to target the aggregations of mole crabs. Carcasses of Emerita provide an important food source for the closely related scavenger Blepharipoda. ==Relationship to humans==

Due to the Emerita being the predominant diet of the barred surfperch, surf fishermen use sand crabs as bait. Soft-shelled Emerita are kept also as bait by commercial fisheries. In some cultures, sand crabs are eaten as a popular snack, such as in Thailand. They are often prepared via shallow frying in a pan or deep frying in batter. The taste is often described as falling somewhere between that of shrimp and crab. Eating sand crabs presents a risk of paralytic shellfish poisoning and/or infection with Profilicollis parasites. In Malaysia, the sand crab locally known as yat yat, ibu remis, kutu laut or udang pasir can be found along the beaches in Kelantan during the monsoon season. The crab is a local delicacy that is usually fried with eggs or roasted on a skewer like satay. ==Life cycle==

Emerita has a short lifespan, perhaps no more than two to three years, and can reproduce in its first year of life. ==See also==