Ocypode brevicornis is a species of ghost crab native to the Indian Ocean, from the Gulf of Oman to the Nicobar Islands.

They are common inhabitants of open sandy beaches, living in burrows in the intertidal zone.

longicornuta described by the American zoologist James Dwight Dana is now known to be a synonym of Ocypode ceratophthalma.

The styles may be absent or much shorter in juvenile specimens,[1][2] as it only starts growing when the crab is around 12 mm (0.47 in) in length.

[4] Like other ghost crabs, one of the claw appendages (chelipeds, the first pereiopod pair) of Ocypode brevicornis is much bigger than the other.

The inner surface of the palm of the larger claw in both sexes features stridulating (sound-producing) ridges, which is important for identifying different species within the subfamily Ocypodinae.

The covering (operculum) of the female genital opening is oriented lengthwise with a thick straight rim slanting backwards.

[4] Like other ghost crabs, Ocypode brevicornis live in deep burrows near the intertidal zone of open sandy beaches.

They are swift runners, darting away to their burrows at the slightest sign of danger, even when the intruder sighted is still 30 ft (9.1 m) away.

Beginning with a rearing posture, the males conduct increasingly complex sideways movements ending by running around the intruder in circles until it retreats.