Shore life · La Saladita, Guerrero

East Pacific Land Crab

Johngarthia planata

Spanish: Cangrejo de tierra

East Pacific Land Crab (Johngarthia planata)
Photographed by lizvazquez on iNaturalist

Johngarthia planata, sometimes known as the Clipperton crab, is a bright orange species of land crab that lives on Clipperton Island in the eastern Pacific; on Malpelo Island, west of Colombia; and on Socorro Island in the Revillagigedo Islands off Mexico, 900 km north of Clipperton. It is omnivorous and feeds on seaweed (algae), vegetation and sometimes carrion.

TaxonomyMalacostraca › Decapoda › Gecarcinidae
Local records19 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records421 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2023 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Shore life guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “East Pacific Land Crab (Johngarthia planata) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/johngarthia-planata/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.