The Ocypodidae (from Ancient Greek ὠκύς (okús), meaning "swift", and πούς (poús), meaning "foot"https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ocypode ) is a family of semiterrestrial crabs that includes ghost crabs and fiddler crabs. These crabs are found along tropical and temperate shorelines worldwide.
Some genera previously classified within the Ocypodidae family have been reclassified into separate families within the superfamily Ocypoidea, such as Dotillidae and Macrophthalmidae. In 2016, the genus Uca was divided into 13 genera through the elevation of its subgenera to genus status, among other taxonomic changes. Further refinements have been made to the family's organization, resulting in 4 subfamilies, approximately 13 extant genera, and around 180 described species as of 2020.
The majority of the Ocypodidae species are fiddler crabs, the exceptions being the members of the genus Ocypode, ghost crabs, and the genus Ucides, mangrove crabs.
Genera These genera belong to the family Ocypodidae:
Afruca Crane, 1975 Austruca Bott, 1973 Cranuca Beinlich & von Hagen, 2006 Gelasimus Stimpson 1862 Leptuca Bott, 1973 Minuca Bott, 1954 Ocypode Weber, 1795 - (ghost crabs) Paraleptuca Bott, 1973 Petruca N.g.Shih & Christy, 2015 Tubuca Bott, 1973 Uca Leach, 1814 Ucides Rathbun, 1897 - (mangrove crabs) Xeruca Shih, 2015 † Chondromaia Feldmann, et al., 2013 † Eoinachoides Van Straelan, 1933 † Micromaia Bittner, 1875 † Mithracia Bell, 1858 † Nanomaja Müller & Collins, 1991 † Panticarcinus Collins & Saward, 2006 † Periacanthus Bittner, 1875 † Pisomaja Lorenthey, 1929 † Wilsonimaia Blow & Manning, 1996
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