Hitoshi Takakura (Flickr Brachyura), Japan
Info
Dromidiopsis lethrinusae (Takeda & Kurata, 1976)
This Sponge crab caryying a sponge or colonial ascidian using rear legs to hold it.
Sponge crabs, family Dromiidae, are so named because they carry around a piece of live sponge or colonial sea squirt for camouflage. They are mostly scavengers and thus help to clear the seabed of dead animals.
Dromidiopsis lethrinusae is quite small with a maximum size of 17.2 mm. The sponge crab is an inhabitant of shallow reefs. One of the Guam specimens was found on dead Acropora coral and the other on a partially living Pocillopora elegans colony. So far it is only known that Dromidiopsis lethrinusae carries sea squirts around for camouflage.
Dromidiopsis lethrinusae is known from Japan, New Caledonia, the Philippines and Guam, the Mariana Islands.
Synonymised names:
Sphaerodromia lethrinusae Takeda & Kurata, 1976 · unaccepted > superseded combination
This Sponge crab caryying a sponge or colonial ascidian using rear legs to hold it.
Sponge crabs, family Dromiidae, are so named because they carry around a piece of live sponge or colonial sea squirt for camouflage. They are mostly scavengers and thus help to clear the seabed of dead animals.
Dromidiopsis lethrinusae is quite small with a maximum size of 17.2 mm. The sponge crab is an inhabitant of shallow reefs. One of the Guam specimens was found on dead Acropora coral and the other on a partially living Pocillopora elegans colony. So far it is only known that Dromidiopsis lethrinusae carries sea squirts around for camouflage.
Dromidiopsis lethrinusae is known from Japan, New Caledonia, the Philippines and Guam, the Mariana Islands.
Synonymised names:
Sphaerodromia lethrinusae Takeda & Kurata, 1976 · unaccepted > superseded combination
