Crabby ID

[RCBruce]

While looking into my reef when the lights first came on, I saw something moving in my acopora. :eek1: At first I thought it was a broken piece flapping in the current, but on closer inspection, I saw that it was a tiny crab!:strooper: It is white with a black stripe, or 'mask' over it's eyes. Any ideas?

Sorry for the bad picture. It was the best I could do with my point and shoot, and by the time I got my slr, it was gone!

 

[JokerGirl]

Acro crab, it's good, don't kill it.

 

[petoonia]

I had a couple of these, until my acro died. I put them in my fuge I dont know if they made it or not. They are cute little crabs!!!

 

[LeslieH]

JokerGirl's right. It's an acro crab in the genus Tetralia. There are a couple of species with the black mask. All Tetralia are obligate symbionts of corals. They usually don't last long once the host coral has died.