Abstract
Observations using a videotape system on a secluded, Georgia, barrier beach revealed that the ghost crab Ocypode quadrata (Fabricius) exhibits diurnal deposit-feeding behavior similar to that manifested by the sand fiddler crab Uca pugilator (Bosc). The only other ghost crabs reported to engage in deposit-feeding, Ocypode ceratophthalma and guadichaudii, use their chelae in a different manner than O. quadrata or Uca pugilator. Ocypode quadrata individuals collect more substratum per feeding motion and produce larger feeding pellets, aggregations of harvested but uningested substratum, than do sand fiddlers. The difference in feeding pellet size appears to be related to differences in buccal cavity size. Differences in Chl a concentrations between feeding pellets and unforaged substratum showed that O. quadrata is less efficient than Uca pugilator at extracting algae from the harvested substratum. However, ghost crabs can extract up to 70% of the available algae. Findings of this study suggest that deposit-feeding is an important adjunct to predatory behavior.
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