Ilyoplax pusilla
Amazing fact
Chigo crabs leave small balls of sand and mud around their burrows after feeding.
葛西臨海水族園
No sign-up needed. You can save notes on this device.
An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
Chigo crabs leave small balls of sand and mud around their burrows after feeding.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Ilyoplax pusilla
- Scientific name
- Ilyoplax pusilla
- Japanese name
- チゴガニ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Malacostraca
- Order
- Decapoda
- Family
- Dotillidae
- Genus
- Ilyoplax
A relative of ghost crabs that digs burrows in the muddy tidal flats at river mouths.
When the tide goes out, they all come out onto the mud together and eat by sifting bits of organic matter from the mud.
Mostly the males raise and lower their white claws in time with each other, a display called waving.
How the Ilyoplax pusilla lives
It moves in groups on tidal flats. When they detect a human shadow or vibrations, the crabs hide in their burrows together. Birds are their main enemies, and they are sensitive to attacks from above.
葛西臨海水族園Basic data
- Size
- Carapace width: about 1 cm
- Diet
- Organic matter in tidal-flat mud
- Range
- Pacific coast of Honshu south of Sendai Bay, Shikoku, Kyushu, the Nansei Islands, and southern Korean Peninsula
Where the Ilyoplax pusilla has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 葛西臨海水族園 — チゴガニChecked: 2026-11-03
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
Report a mistakeWhen you meet the Ilyoplax pusilla, look for this
- Look at how a male’s claws match in size.
Animals do different things from day to day, so you may not always see this.
葛西臨海水族園EXHIBIT INFORMATION
Places that keep or show the Ilyoplax pusilla
Zoos, aquariums and other places whose official websites say they keep or show this animal.
Kanto
Displays can change with the animals’ health and the seasons. Check each facility’s official website before you go.
RELATIVES
Others in Decapoda
MORE TO MEET
