| a large, terrestrial crab, Birgus latro, of islands in the South Pacific, that feeds on coconuts. |
| purse crab n. Either of two sand-dwelling brachyuran crabs (Persephona mediterranea or P. punctata) of the U.S. Atlantic coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the West Indies, having a rounded body and, in the female, a purselike chamber for eggs. |
