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Coconut Crab (Birgus latro) Fact Sheet: Bibliography & Resources

Bibliography

Amesbury SS. 1980. Biological studies on the coconut crab (Birgus latro) in the Mariana Islands. Guam: University of Guam Marine Laboratory. University of Guam Marine Laboratory Technical Report Report No.: 66.

Anagnostou C, Schubart C. 2014. Morphometric characterisation of a population of adult coconut crabs Birgus latro (Decapoda: Anomura: Coenobitidae) from Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. Raffles Bull Zool 2014 Suppl. 30:136–149.

Appoo J, Cagua E, van de Crommenacker J, Burt A, Pistorius P, Taylor F, Richards H, Haupt P, Doak N, Fleischer-Dogley F, et al. 2021. Population dynamics of the coconut crab Birgus latro on Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles. Mar Ecol Prog Ser. 665:103–113. doi:10.3354/meps13672.

Brown IW, Fielder DR. 1991. Project overview and literature survey. In: Brown IW, Fielder DR, editors. The coconut crab: aspects of Birgus latro biology and ecology in Vanuatu. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 1–11.

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Caro T, Hamad H, Rashid RS, Kloiber U, Morgan VM, Nokelainen O, Caro B, Pretelli I, Cumberlidge N, Borgerhoff Mulder M. 2021. A case study of the coconut crab Birgus latro on Zanzibar highlights global threats and conservation solutions. Oryx. 55(4):556–563. doi:10.1017/S0030605319000863.

Chauvet C, Kadiri-Jan T. 1999. Assessment of an unexploited population of coconut crabs, Birgus latro (Linne, 1767) on Taiaro atoll (Tuamotu archipelago, French Polynesia). Coral Reefs. 18(3):297–299. doi:10.1007/s003380050198.

Cumberlidge N. 2020. Coconut crab, Birgus latro. The IUCN red list of threatened species [Internet]. Version 2020-3; e.T2811A126813586 [assessed 2018 Aug 06; accessed 2021 Feb 10]. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-2.RLTS.T2811A126813586.en.

Drew M, Smith M, Hansson B. 2013. Factors influencing growth of giant terrestrial robber crab Birgus latro (Anomura: Coenobitidae) on Christmas Island. Aquat Biol. 19(2):129–141. doi:10.3354/ab00523.

Drew MM, Hansson BS. 2014. The population structure of Birgus latro (Crustacea: Decapoda: Anomura: Coenobitidae) on Christmas Island with incidental notes on behaviour. Raffles Bull Zool 2014 Suppl. 30:150–161.

Drew MM, Hartnoll RG, Hansson BS. 2012. An improved mark-recapture method using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags in Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767) (Decapoda, Anomura). Crustaceana. 85(1):89–102. doi:10.1163/156854012X623656.

Drew MM, Harzsch S, Stensmyr M, Erland S, Hansson BS. 2010. A review of the biology and ecology of the robber crab, Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767) (Anomura: Coenobitidae). Zool Anz - J Comp Zool. 249(1):45–67. doi:10.1016/j.jcz.2010.03.001.

Eldredge LG. 1996. Coconut crab, Birgus latro. The IUCN red list of threatened species [Internet]. Version 2020-1; e.T2811A9484078 [assessed 1996 Aug 01; accessed 2020 Apr 14]. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T2811A9484078.en.

Fletcher WJ, Amos M. 1994. Stock assessment of coconut crabs. Aust Cent Int Agric Res ACIAR Monogr. 29:1–32.

Fletcher WJ, Brown IW, Fielder DR. 1990a. Movement of coconut crabs, Birgus latro, in a rainforest habitat in Vanuatu. Pac Sci. 44(4):407–416.

Fletcher WJ, Brown IW, Fielder DR. 1990b. Growth of the coconut crab Birgus latro in Vanuatu. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 141(1):63–78. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(90)90158-9.

Fletcher WJ, Brown IW, Fielder DR, Obed A. 1991. Moulting and growth characteristics. In: Fielder DR, Brown IW, editors. The coconut crab: aspects of Birgus latro biology and ecology in Vanuatu. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 35–60.

Forth G. 2019. Ethnographic evidence for the presence of the coconut crab Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767) (Anomura, Coenobitidae) on Flores Island, Indonesia. Crustaceana. 92(8):921–941. doi:10.1163/15685403-00003912.

Gibson-Hill CA. 1947. Field notes on the terrestrial crabs. Bull Raffles Mus. 18:43–52.

Greenaway P. 2003. Terrestrial adaptations in the Anomura (Crustacea: Decapoda). Mem Mus Vic. 60(1):13–26.

Hamasaki K, Ishiyama N, Kitada S. 2015. Settlement behavior and substrate preference of the coconut crab Birgus latro megalopae on natural substrata in the laboratory. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 468:21–28. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2015.03.011.

Hamasaki K, Ishiyama N, Yamashita S, Kitada S. 2014. Survival and growth of juveniles of the coconut crab Birgus latro under laboratory conditions: implications for mass production of juveniles. J Crustac Biol. 34(3):309–318. doi:10.1163/1937240X-00002229.

Hamasaki K, Kitada S, Yamashita S, Ishiyama N. 2013. Effects of water availability and migration timing from sea to land on survival and moulting in megalopae and juveniles of the coconut crab, Birgus latro: implications for mass production of juveniles. J Crustac Biol. 33(5):627–632. doi:10.1163/1937240X-00002163.

Hamasaki K, Matsuda T, Takano K, Sugizaki M, Murakami Y, Dan S, Kitada S. 2016. Thermal adaptations of embryos of six terrestrial hermit crab species. Aquat Biol. 25:83–96. doi:10.3354/ab00663.

Hamasaki K, Ogiso Y, Dan S, Kitada S. 2016. Survival, development and growth of larvae of the coconut crab, Birgus latro, cultured under different photoperiod conditions. Aquac Res. 47(8):2506–2517. doi:10.1111/are.12699.

Hamasaki K, Sugizaki M, Sugimoto A, Murakami Y, Kitada S. 2011. Emigration behaviour during sea-to-land transition of the coconut crab Birgus latro: effects of gastropod shells, substrata, shelters and humidity. J Exp Mar Biol Ecol. 403(1–2):81–89. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2011.04.007.

Held EE. 1963. Moulting behaviour of Birgus latro. Nature. 200(4908):799–800. doi:10.1038/200799a0.

Helfman ES. 1973. The ecology and behavior of the coconut crab Birgus latro (L) [M.Sc. thesis]. [Hilo, HI]: University of Hawaii.

Helfman GS. 1977. Copulatory behavior of the coconut or robber crab Birgus latro (L.) (Decapoda Anomura, Paguridea, Coenobitidae). Crustaceana. 33(2):198–202. doi:10.1163/156854077X00106.

Helfman ES. 1973. The ecology and behavior of the coconut crab Birgus latro (L.) [M.Sc. thesis]. [Hilo, HI]: University of Hawaii.

Hennicke JC. 2012. Christmas Island Goshawk predation on Abbott’s Booby chick and competition with a robber crab. Aust Field Ornithol. 29(4):196–200.

Kadiri-Jan T, Chauvet C. 1998. Distribution of the juvenile coconut crab, Birgus latro (L.), on the island of Lifou, New Caledonia. Écoscience. 5(2):275–278. doi:10.1080/11956860.1998.11682451.

Kasuya N, Sanda T, Hamasaki K, Dan S, Kitada S. 2020. Upper thermal tolerance of early juveniles of six terrestrial hermit crab species. Anim Biol. 70(1):39–53. doi:10.1163/15707563-20191119.

Kessler C. 2005. Observation of a coconut crab, Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767) predation on a Polynesian rat, Rattus exulans (Peale, 1848). Crustaceana. 78(6):761–762. doi:10.1163/156854005774353485.

Krieger J, Sandeman RE, Sandeman DC, Hansson BS, Harzsch S. 2010. Brain architecture of the largest living land arthropod, the giant robber crab Birgus latro (Crustacea, Anomura, Coenobitidae): evidence for a prominent central olfactory pathway? Front Zool. 7(1):25. doi:10.1186/1742-9994-7-25.

Laidre ME. 2017. Ruler of the atoll: the world’s largest land invertebrate. Front Ecol Environ. 15(9):527–528. doi:10.1002/fee.1730.

Laidre ME. 2018. Coconut crabs. Curr Biol. 28(2):R58–R60. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2017.11.017.

Lavery S, Fielder DR. 1991. Genetic characteristics. In: Fielder DR, Brown IW, editors. The coconut crab: aspects of Birgus latro biology and ecology in Vanuatu. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 87–98.

Lavery S, Moritz C, Fielder DR. 1995. Changing patterns of population structure and gene flow at different spatial scales in Birgus latro (the coconut crab). Heredity. 74(5):531–541. doi:10.1038/hdy.1995.75.

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Nokelainen O, Stevens M, Caro T. 2018. Colour polymorphism in the coconut crab (Birgus latro). Evol Ecol. 32(1):75–88. doi:10.1007/s10682-017-9924-1.

Oka S, Kobayashi N, Sato T, Ueda K, Yamagishi M. 2019. Sound production in the coconut crab, the largest terrestrial crustacean. Zoology. 137:125710. doi:10.1016/j.zool.2019.125710.

Oka S, Miyamoto K, Matsuzaki S, Sato T. 2015. Growth of the coconut crab, Birgus latro, at its northernmost range estimated from mark-recapture using individual identification based on carapace grooving patterns. Zoolog Sci. 32(3):260–265. doi:10.2108/zs150008.

Oka S, Tomita T, Miyamoto K. 2016. A mighty claw: pinching force of the coconut crab, the largest terrestrial crustacean. PLOS ONE. 11(11):e0166108. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0166108.

Patanakar V. 2007. First post-tsunami sighting of the coconut crab in the Nicobar Islands. Oryx. 41(3):287–288.

Patankar V, D’souza E. 2012. Conservation needs of the coconut crab Birgus latro on the Nicobar Islands, India. Oryx. 46(2):175–178. doi:10.1017/S0030605311000408.

Poupin J, Zubia M, Gravier-Bonnet N, Chabanet P, Duhec A. 2013. Crustacea Decapoda of Glorieuses Islands, with notes on the distribution of the coconut crab (Birgus latro) in the western Indian Ocean. Mar Biodivers Rec. 6:e125. doi:10.1017/S175526721300105X.

Reese ES. 1968. Shell use: an adaptation for emigration from the sea by the coconut crab. Science. 161(3839):385–386. doi:10.1126/science.161.3839.385.

Reese ES, Kinzie RA. 1968. The larval development of the coconut or robber crab Birgus latro (L.) in the Laboratory (Anomura, Paguridea). Crustac Suppl.(2):117–144.

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Sato T, Yoseda K. 2008. Reproductive season and female maturity size of coconut crab Birgus latro on Hatoma Island, southern Japan. Fish Sci. 74(6):1277–1282. doi:10.1111/j.1444-2906.2008.01652.x.

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Sato T, Yoseda K. 2009b. Prediction of timing of mating and egg extrusion in the coconut crab Birgus latro judged from female pleonal expansion. Fish Sci. 75(3):641–648. doi:10.1007/s12562-009-0093-1.

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Sato T, Yoseda K, Abe O, Shibuno T. 2008. Male maturity, number of sperm, and spermatophore size relationships in the coconut crab Birgus latro on Hatoma Island, southern Japan. J Crustac Biol. 28(4):663–668. doi:10.1651/07-2966.1.

Sato T, Yoseda K, Abe O, Shibuno T, Takada Y, Dan S, Hamasaki K. 2013. Growth of the coconut crab Birgus latro estimated from mark-recapture using passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. Aquat Biol. 19(2):143–152. doi:10.3354/ab00517.

Schiller C. 1993. Early development and larval ecology of the coconut crab Birgus latro (L.) [PhD thesis]. [Brisbane, Austr.]: University of Queensland; unpublished.

Schiller CD, Fielder R, Brown IW, Obed A. 1991. Reproduction, early life-history and recruitment. In: Brown IW, Fielder DR, editors. The coconut crab: aspects of Birgus latro biology and ecology in Vanuatu. Canberra: Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research. p. 13–33.

Serosero R, Sulistiono S, Butet NA, Riani E. 2021. Stock status of coconut crab (Birgus latro) in Daeo, Morotai Island District, North Maluku, Indonesia. Biodiversitas. 22(2). doi:10.13057/biodiv/d220214. [accessed 2021 Aug 4].

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Sugimoto A, Ojima A, Iizuka C, Sugizaki M, Kitada S, Dan S, Hamasaki K. 2015. Genetic diversity and demographic history of the terrestrial hermit crabs Birgus latro and Coenobita brevimanus in the North-Western Pacific Region. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 35(6):793–803. doi:10.1163/1937240X-00002370.

Tudge CC, Jamieson BGM. 1991. Ultrastructure of the mature spermatozoon of the coconut crab Birgus latro (Coenobitidae: Paguroidea: Decapoda). Mar Biol. 108(3):395–402. doi:10.1007/BF01313648.

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Veldsman WP, Wang Y, Niu J, Baeza JA, Chu KH. 2020. Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of a coconut crab, Birgus latro (Linnaeus, 1767) (Decapoda: Anomura: Coenobitidae), from Okinawa, Japan. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 40(4):390–400. doi:10.1093/jcbiol/ruaa032.

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Additional Internet Resources

Coconut Crab

Side view of coconut crab at the San Diego Zoo

Climbing ability of the coconut crab.

 

Front view of coconut crab exoskeleton

Coconut crab exoskeleton.

 

Eyes and dorsal spine of a coconut crab

Close-up of a coconut crab's eyes and dorsal spine.

 

Image credits: © San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. All rights reserved.

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