Abstract The tufted ghost crab, Ocypode cursor, was recorded for the first time on the coast of Sicily mainland in 2009, however no ecological studies were conducted so far. In this study, we provide the first ecological data, based on massive data collection of the ghost crab in Sicily. In particular, we studied the spatio-temporal distribution of the species in the recently colonized urban beach of Avola. Our results showed that this species' activity is mainly affected by temperature (crabs were more active during warmer months), while distance from the shoreline affected size distribution (larger crabs were usually found farther away from the shoreline). Crabs feed on a great variety of food items, and are undergoing northward range expansion.

中文翻译：

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来自最近被殖民的城市沙滩的簇状鬼蟹 Ocypode cursor（Linnaeus，1758）（甲壳纲：Ocypodidae）的丰富度、分布和生态学，以及来自西西里岛（地中海中部）的新记录

摘要 簇状鬼蟹Ocypode cursor于2009年首次在西西里大陆海岸被记录，但至今未进行生态学研究。在这项研究中，我们基于西西里岛鬼蟹的海量数据收集，提供了第一个生态数据。特别是，我们研究了该物种在最近被殖民的 Avola 城市海滩中的时空分布。我们的结果表明，该物种的活动主要受温度影响（螃蟹在温暖的月份更活跃），而与海岸线的距离影响大小分布（通常在远离海岸线的地方发现较大的螃蟹）。螃蟹以各种各样的食物为食，并且正在向北扩张。