I probably should have provided a bit more information on O. latirostris since they are uncommon in the trade and I don't think I have written specifically about them. Although they are in the same genus as O. scyllarus, their requirements are different. What I am writing applies also to a very similar species from the Caribbean, O. havanensis.
O. latirostris is a burrowing species that is usually found on open sandy or muck bottoms. They do not live near coral or rock although they frequently construct their u-shaped burrows beside or under a small piece of rubble. Since you usually can't provide a substrate that holds together, they do best in an aquarium with a mixture of sand, shell and small pieces of rubble. The bed should be about three inches deep which will allow them to construct a burrow under a small piece of rubble.
Life span is not as great in this species as with most smashers. They probably live only three or four years total and large adults typically survive in the aquarium only a few months to a year at most. Maximum size is around 65 mm. O. latirostris is found from Brisbane, Australia to the Philippines. They rarely occur above 10 m and most are found deeper, around 20-30 m. Because of this, they do not like bright, broad spectrum light so I would not recommend keeping them in a coral tank with strong lighting.
We know very little about their mating system. Females seem to be receptive much of their reproductive cycle and courtship and copulation can occur even when the female is not ready to lay eggs. They do not appear to cohabitat for any period of time. I have seen many copulations on the surface, but I've also observed males and females visitng each others burrows or even exchanging burrows. We keep our large reproductive animals in 100 gal aquaria trying to provide a natural, open habitat similar to what they have in the field.. Five times I have tried to keep a male and female together. They usually build their burrows about a meter apart and do fine - until one molts. In every case, that animal was killed. I just lost a large male that was killed by a female two days ago. They have been together in the same aquarium for 4 months.
They are great jumpers and can easily clear three or four inches above the water. Keep a lid on the aquarium! They can occasionally spook and come shooting out of the tank. They are also quite vulnerable to low oxygen levels and are one of the most sensitive species I know of when it comes to exposure to solvents, tobaco smoke, cleaning agents, etc. Again, a tight lid and good water circulation helps.
On the plus side, they are active and inquisitive, constantly digging and rearranging their burrows. They also eat well in captivity, although they are not strong smashers and usually cannot break up snails or hermits. I feed ours a varied diet of smashed snails, krill, live adult brine shrimp, and frozen shrimp.
