What kind of crab is this?

[208Reefer]

Found this lil hitchhiker tonight, anyone actually know what kind of crab it is?
And please don’t just say “how cute” or “I want one”

Thank you!

 

[fishguy242]

@KJ @James_O ?? blind guess ,reef safe acro crab ?

 

[James_O]

I have no idea! Doesn’t look like the conventional acro crab though. And if it is, I’ve never seen one with those markings or with glowing legs!

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

To be fair, it is pretty cute

 

[Goaway]

I would keep that bugger!! I don't know what it is. But MY goodness...

I will go with gall crab though.

Also, this is a male gall crab.

On the question of is it reef safe. Yes and no. They can burrow into corals which can kill corals. I don't know if the males burrow or not. I am sure they do. Most of the time, lps will die. Gall crabs use corals as a home for protection and eat pests around said coral. In our aquariums, it seems lps don't fair well with them. There was a thread of them killing elegance corals for example. Only one I can remember.

 

[DeniseAndy]

Looked like a tick in the glowing pictures.

I was thinking acro crab too.

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Looked like a tick in the glowing pictures.

I thought the same thing until I saw the third picture!!

 

[Goaway]

Cryptochiridae sp.01 Gall crab, coral-dwelling gall crab

Cryptochiridae sp.01 is commonly referred to as Gall crab, coral-dwelling gall crab. Difficulty in the aquarium: Very easy. A aquarium size of at least 50 Liter is recommended. Toxicity: Toxic hazard unknown.

www.reeflex.net

from their site.
male

female

 

[kittenbritches]

@Mibu seems to have correctly ID'd him, but I still want to throw my hat into the ring.

I'm pretty sure that's Pennywise's true form.