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mole crab

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mole crab

–noun
a burrowing crustacean of the genus Emerita, found on sandy ocean beaches of North America, having a distinctly curved carapace.
Also called sandbug.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mole crab   (mōl)   
n.  Any of various small crustaceans of the genus Emerita, having very long eyestalks and hairy antennae and commonly found burrowing in sand on ocean beaches.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

mole crab

crab of the Atlantic beaches from New England to Mexico. It is so named from its digging mole-fashion in sand. The shell is about 3.75 centimetres (1.5 inches) long, somewhat egg shaped and yellowish white with purplish markings. It lives on beaches in the intertidal zone. E. analoga, a broader and flatter species, occurs on the California coast.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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