page_title: Leptograpsus
section_title: Prey
hierarchical_section_title: Leptograpsus / Prey
caption_attribution_description: English: Leptograpsus variegatus preying upon a Raukawa Gecko
context_page_description: Leptograpsus variegatus, known as the purple rock crab, is a marine large-eyed crab of the family Grapsidae, found in southern subtropical Indo-Pacific Oceans. It grows to around 50 millimetres shell width. It is the only species in the genus Leptograpsus.
context_section_description: Leptograpsus variegatus is an omnivore and will eat a broad range of plant and animal life. While the crab may eat algae growing on rocks (such as Corallina and Ulva lactuca), they have also been observed feeding on barnacles and limpets. The crab captures limpets by quickly placing their chelae under the limpets shell when it begins to move and then flips it over. Notably, there is also a single observation of this species preying upon a Raukawa gecko, which is native to New Zealand.
caption: Leptograpsus variegatus preying upon a Raukawa gecko
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