I'll try to get better pics. But, based on the other coral that he ate part of and it is now recovering. I'm thinking it may be Cymo Melanodactylus, or The Furry Coral Crab. If so, he maybe destroying my Acro.
Named for the setae covered, ‘furry’ appearance of its carapace, this crab actually feeds on mucus secreted by the coral, dead coral tissue, and floating zooplankton/detritus. At first thought to be an infesting pest species, later studies have concluded that C. melanodactylus crabs actually slow/reverse progression of tissue loss caused by White Syndrome (WS) in acroporid corals, rather than acting as a potential vector.
White band disease is a coral disease that affects acroporid corals and is distinguishable by the white band of dead coral tissue that it forms. The disease completely destroys the coral tissue of Caribbean acroporid corals, specifically elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) and staghorn coral. (A. cervicornis).
It is fascinating to learn that on the micro scale the predatory behavior of coral crabs like Cymo melanodactylus are harmful but at the large ecosystem scale their efforts amount to surgical grazing, removing disease flesh to make an overall healthier colony.
