Hitchhiker Crab ID

[ggNoRe]

I recently purchased a mini colony of birdsnest sps. And it seem to start to slowly decline. So I was inspecting it pretty hard and saw something move. After a lot of poking and prodding and eventually taking the whole rock out I finally removed this guy who seemed like he was using the coral as a snack!

Anyone know what kind it is and if they actually do eat coral?

He is pretty small about the size of a dime. Pretty sure he came with the colony.


Thanks

 

[ChiCity]

looks like a commensal trapezia crab

 

[WheatToast]

looks like a commensal trapezia crab

Appears not to harm coral (and may defend its host)
https://m.liveaquaria.com/product/2914/?pcatid=2914

 

[ggNoRe]

looks like a commensal trapezia crab

Do they eat coral?

 

[WheatToast]

Do they eat coral?

LiveAquaria says they only attempt to keep their host coral clean, not consuming it.

 

[N.Sreefer]

I would 100% keep it or at least sell it rather than killing it they are really interesting creatures with very little formal studies done on them. Who knows you might be the first to see an unrecorded behaviour.

 

[ggNoRe]

I would 100% keep it or at least sell it rather than killing it they are really interesting creatures with very little formal studies done on them. Who knows you might be the first to see an unrecorded behaviour.

Unfortunately, he is already down my sink drain.