Calappidae
Harlequin Shrimp
I got a blue calico crab about a month ago. Yes, Blue.. I got her off diver's den in a heartbeat.. I'm not a fan of the calico crabs, I'm more of the calappid species type guy.. but when I saw this odd coloration I knew it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot.
I can't get a decent pic myself.. so I'll have to use liveaquaria's.
She is actually a little more vibrant in person. At first I thought that maybe this was an indication of an incoming molt.. but after about a month she retains her color and never molted.
She's currently housed in a 40 gallon sump refugium with an open fine sandbed aprox 2.5 inches deep. Well over fist sized and has a very strong grip on the feeding stick (I tried hand feeding.. lets just say after the first time her claws scared me a little.. unlike the calappids where their claws are ment to pry open clams and snails which I was able to hand feed.. these ones are ment to tear flesh..).
When I first got her, she didn't eat for the first week.. I eventually enticed her to eat with some clams from the deli, and from there the less messy diet of krill took over and she's happy and healthy!
Has anyone every heard or seen of this coloration? I'd be happy to keep updated just for the fact that there isn't too much information on their behavior or journels reguarding experience with them online that I know of.
They also go by the name shameface crab, box crab, and leopard crab. Calico seems to be the least misleading so I'll go with that.
I can't get a decent pic myself.. so I'll have to use liveaquaria's.
She is actually a little more vibrant in person. At first I thought that maybe this was an indication of an incoming molt.. but after about a month she retains her color and never molted.
She's currently housed in a 40 gallon sump refugium with an open fine sandbed aprox 2.5 inches deep. Well over fist sized and has a very strong grip on the feeding stick (I tried hand feeding.. lets just say after the first time her claws scared me a little.. unlike the calappids where their claws are ment to pry open clams and snails which I was able to hand feed.. these ones are ment to tear flesh..).
When I first got her, she didn't eat for the first week.. I eventually enticed her to eat with some clams from the deli, and from there the less messy diet of krill took over and she's happy and healthy!
Has anyone every heard or seen of this coloration? I'd be happy to keep updated just for the fact that there isn't too much information on their behavior or journels reguarding experience with them online that I know of.
They also go by the name shameface crab, box crab, and leopard crab. Calico seems to be the least misleading so I'll go with that.
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