Need crab ID plz

[er1c_the_reefer]

can someone ID this crab for me?

 

[BoiseStateFan]

I dont know what it is, but its sure going to town on those polyps.

 

[er1c_the_reefer]

it's not eating the polyps

 

[Javeo]

Wow, that is a fantastic looking crab! i want one!!

 

[rlf_racing]

Where did get that cool looking crab at???

 

[LeslieH]

It's an unhappy crab, that's what it is. What is a LFS doing selling a beach crab for a reef tank? The crab is in genus Mictyris - a soldier crab. They live on beaches & emerge at low tide by the thousands. As they walk they pick up sand & eat off the organic bits. At high tide they burrow into the sand and wait for the water to retreat once again. They can breathe air as well as underwater.

 

[er1c_the_reefer]

oh cool. a quick google search shows they come from estuary flats and mangrove swamps. i'm guessing they might be ok in a heavy brackish enviroment with fiddler crabs?

 

[mollymonticello]

I see a Paludarium in your future...

 

[mokeyz]

I used to see them all the time on Long Island beaches - bunches of them every time a wave came in - they are very cool and obviously need to be on the shore - also I don't know about all soldier crabs but even in August the water at Jones Beach is not sub tropical.

 

[LeslieH]

er1c - yes, they can tolerate wide swings in salinity. They are primarily oxygen breathers. Even when they bury themselves at high tide they maintain an "oxygen chamber" in the burrow rather than immerse themselves in water. This paper describes the biology & feeding method of one species and the effect they have on the local ecology http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/esm/ccb/JEMBE 2004.pdf
I'm not sure if they can feed while submerged.

mokeyz - which Long Island & Jones Beach? Mictyris species only occur in the Indo-Pacific.

 

[mokeyz]

Leslie, the Long Island in NY - Jones Beach is on the south shore - perhaps they weren't the same crabs - but they were definitely blue and definitely soldier crabs. I'll do a little research and see if I can find some info.