ID please, tiny crab

spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
last night i was checking out the new(first) corals and how they were set up when something moved out of the corner of my eye, it looked like a hermit crab without its shell(that size, not shape)
i looked closer and it was a tiny crab, 1/4" max.
since i just got corals, im a bit paranoid what it is and if it came in on them since i dont wanna lose them already
pinchers looked cupped like an emerald, but its so small and hard to see, its out of the tank in a cup so if i need to look again, i can


 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
any idea what its called? ill dispose of it but im very curious when i find stuff what its called for future reference
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by spkdtch
http:///forum/post/3042307
any idea what its called? ill dispose of it but im very curious when i find stuff what its called for future reference
I wouldn't get rid of it yet.....wait until Cranberry or someone else sees it.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
its very tiny and is kinda cute, im setting up an over tank refuge in a few weeks when i build a new stand/canopy, but until then, he will just sit in the jar or move to a seperate tank
its like a clear yellow, like the common yellow sac house spiders
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
what type of corals did it come with? and whats your location? would you ship it to me if i paid the usps priority instead of killing it?
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
im not sure if it actually came in on the corals, if it did, im guessing on some green zoas, but it wasnt by them, it was on another piece of live rock i got a month ago, so cant gaurantee it
im in wisconsin, just south of milwaukee and yes id send it to you once i find out what it is, its still safe in a jar right now
 
renogaw

renogaw

Active Member
ok, i was just wondering if it were an acro crab (since they are symbiotic with acros...). with crabs, you're almost never going to get a perfect id.
it DOES though look somewhat like a mithrax crab though i've not seen any other than maroon, purplish, or emerald.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
could be a mithrax, just very very tiny, i have a brownish one similar in color to that one, with darker claws though
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Crabs can be next to impossible to pin down ID-wise. I have 3 personal categories.....
  • One that I KNOW what it is so I know what to do with it.
  • Ones I don't like the look of... so I banish them.
    One's I like the look of.... so I keep them.
And liking and not liking the look means I think he looks destructive or there are characteristics that would lead me to believe otherwise.
Most hitchhiker crabs fall into the banish category. But I would keep that one (somewhere secure). I bet if we searched we may be able to positively ID it. Those claws look like benign claws. He really does look like a mithrax, could be from the same family or genus. Or it could be a sculptus variation or juvie like mentioned.
 
spkdtch

spkdtch

Member
its very small so im guessing juvie, didnt seem to bother anything, but thought better safe than sorry and put him in a jar
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
But it could be a juvie anything.... but I think this one is relatively safe.... most crabs really aren't that safe and even your average mithrax is an omnivore.
 
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