The original use of Gelasimus macrodactylus are for specimens from locations where fiddler crabs are not found. The collecting trip visited many different locations, so the exact one is unknown. The type specimen found in the Paris museum does not match the published description (in size or characteristics). Furthermore, the name was widely applied for a century to a number of different species, with no single one having clear dominance. Because of this ambiguity, the specific name macrodactylus was officially suppressed by the ICZN (Opinion 940, 1971).