About Ligia occidentalis (Dana, 1853)
Ligia occidentalis, commonly known as the western sea slater, is a species of sea slater belonging to the genus Ligia in the family Ligiidae. It is a habitat generalist that lives on rocky shores, and can be found along the Pacific coast of North America, ranging from Mexico north to British Columbia. The western sea slater can be distinguished from the closely related species Ligia pallasii by several physical traits: it has much longer uropods, larger eyes that are positioned closer together, and a sleeker overall body shape. This species tends to run away quickly when it is disturbed. During the day, these sea slaters take shelter in rocky crevices located above the high tide line. They typically emerge to forage at night or during cooler weather, scavenging algae and detritus along beaches and rocky cliffs. Western sea slaters need to keep their gills moist to breathe, but they cannot survive for extended periods underwater and will drown if submerged for too long.
