Arenaeus cribrarius, 22 May 2014

Arenaeus cribrarius, the Speckled swimming crab;
Volusia county, Florida (22 May 2014).

This crab species is quite abundant along the beaches of Volusia county, Florida. Really, they can be found on nearly any sandy beach — typically in shallow water. They range from New England all the way south to Argentina, but, again, you’ll typically only find them in the shallows of sandy beaches. For the most part, they’re really only active at night and go about their business in solo mode. When you do see them frolicking together, mating is usually the name of the game. That’s what’s happening in this photograph. These are two Speckled swimming crabs going about the business of making even more Speckled swimming crabs.