Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Grapsus grapsus
zayapa, Sally lightfoot crab



Caparace width to 73 mm.
Origin and Affin. Atlantic. Littoral, rocky shores
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Malacostraca
Order
Decapoda
Suborder
Pleocyemata
Superfamily
Grapsoidea
Family
Grapsidae
Genus
Grapsus
Species
grapsus
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Cancer grapsus Linnaeus, 1758, Cancer jumpibus Swire, 1938, Grapsus altifrons Stimpson, 1860, Grapsus maculatus H. Milne Edwards, 1853, Grapsus ornatus H. Milne Edwards, 1853, Grapsus pictus Lamarck, 1801, fide Appeltans et al. (2010)
Origin: Native
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Gulf of California, Panamic, Atlantic, Baja California, Mexico to Peru and Ecuador (Galapagos Islands), also Atlantic, Florida and Caribbean to Brazil
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- Constant, P. (2007) Marine Life of the Galapagos. The Diver's guide to Fishes, Whales, Dolphins and marine Invertebrates, 307 pp.
- Garth, J.S. (1991) Taxonomy, Distribution, and Ecology of Galápagos. Brachyura. In: James, M.J. (ed.): Galápagos Marine Invertebrates. Taxonomy, Biogeography, and Evolution in Darwin's Islands. Plenum Press. New York and London, p. 123-155.
- Hickin, N. (1979) Animal life of the Galapagos. Ferundune Books, Faringdon, U.K., 236 pp.
- Hickman, C.P. Jr. Zimmerman, T.L. (2000) A Field Guide to Crustaceans of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 156 pp.
- IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.
- Peck, S.B. (1994) Diversity and zoogeography of the non-oceanic Crustacea of the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador (excluding terrestrial Isopoda). Canadian Journal of Zoology 72: 54-69.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Grapsus grapsus", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=8537. Accessed 4 November 2025.