[6] The mangrove tree crab is found in tropical and semitropical regions along the coasts of North, Central, and South America.

It also eats organic debris and algae, and opportunistically feeds on carrion and small invertebrates including polychaete worms, nematodes, and foraminiferans.

[8] This is unsurprising considering that mangrove leaves are of poor nutritional value, but what is surprising is the high proportion of leaf matter in the crabs' diet.

It is efficient at evading potential predators, as it can scuttle along branches at the rate of 1 m/sec and can leap to safety in the water below, but there it may become the victim of a predatory fish.

While they are there, she moves to the fringes of the mangrove area where conditions are better for the developing embryos and the release of the newly hatched larvae into the sea.