Is this Hitchhiker a squid? + Crab ID

[AuntKaren]

I found these on my new live rock this morning. The first one is ??? a squid ??? The second is a crab and it's not a gorilla crab. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to what the heck these are?

[lReef lKeeper]

number one looks like some sort of spider, and number two porcelin crab ??

[Sweetpea]

I agree with Bobby's ID of porcelain crab. Your mushy "squid" thing kind of resembles a zoanthid eating spider. Check out this link and see if you can tell: http://www.zoaid.com/index.php?module=Gallery2&g2_itemId=396

HTH

[Whoyah]

I agree with Sweetpea on both counts.

[AuntKaren]

Nope that's not what it looks like at all. On the pic above notice the two eyes directly across from one another and it's head was actually poking out of the water. It was watchin' me! There is no shell, it's soft. It definately is not a spider though. Thanks for the rule out!

Someone else? Any other guesses??

[AuntKaren]

Look what I found! It IS a crab it's in the Pisidae family. Now all I have to do is find a way to keep it alive!

[dakar]

AWESOME! What else were you able to dig up about this little guy?

[lReef lKeeper]

holy cow !! that is a sweet crab !! like Dakar, i am wanting more info on this little guy. reef safe ??

[AuntKaren]

I have been trying to find info on the lil guy but all I can find is classification info like phylum, order that kind of stuff. When I get the info I'll let you know.

btw, don't porcelain crabs have more rounded claws not elongated in shape? I have 3 of these critters. They all reside in the HT right now but when I find out what they are and what they eat they will go either in the Nano or the new 180 when it's ready to take critters.

[Reptoreef]

Looks to me like #1 is a young decorator crab, #2 is definitely a porcelin(anemone) crab, and the last looks like a relative of an arrow crab.

[AuntKaren]

Repto you are right on all 3 I believe! The way I found out that #1 is a decorator crab was that after I put it in the HT for safekeeping it was climbing the heater with a backload of rocks and shells. So that first pic is a pic of a naked decorator crab! LOL

The Pisidae crab was what I THOUGHT the decorator crab was but you are right again Reptro when I was researching it is in the arrow crab family....must be a kissin cousin or something.

The votes are in for the #2 crab as porcelain crab so that's what I'm gonna treat it like.......umm....so what does a porcelain anemone crab eat anyway?

[JustDavidP]

Porcelain crabs should be easy to identify if you google images. They have three sets of walking legs rather than four. The fourth are tucked away under their carapace.

If you get the chance to see it in the tank, watch to see if it is "seining" for food using large feather like setae located near their mouth. They literally comb the water as it passed by and eat smallish particulate matter, to include detritus. Mine also take cyclopeze and smallish meaty foods.

Porcelain crabs have what look to be MIGHTY MEAT EATING and dangerous claws. Showy, not vital for feeding but for fighting (they actually will drop one or more claws -hence the name "porcelain"- if dealing with the "Fight or Flight" issues..thought to give them increased mobility in retreat).

Porcelain crabs are often found as hitch hikers because they like to hide in the various nooks and crannies of LR and come out pretty much only when feeding.

Your first image does look like a decorator crab, all dolled up and ready for a night on the town :)

Dave

[AuntKaren]

Well I found 2 more decorator crabs that came in with our final shipment of rock and cleanup crew. One is prancing around with some red macro algae branching with several large pieces of rubble interspersed in the red. The second has chosen a beautiful blue sponge and matched it with some orange sponge held together with a small snail shell LOL. They strut along the tank bottom as though in a parade. The original decorator crab is much much smaller and only wears coral rubble pieces about 1/8" but he piles them on high!