Pom-pom crab

Lybia tessellata

''Lybia tessellata'' is a species of small crab in the family Xanthidae. It is found in shallow parts of the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean. Like other members of the genus ''Lybia'', it is commonly known as the pom-pom crab or boxer crab because of its habit of carrying a sea anemone around in each of its claws, these resembling pom-poms or boxing gloves.
Mosaic Boxer Crab/Pom-Pom Crab - Lybia tessellata This Mosaic Boxer Crab/Pom-Pom Crab - Lybia tessellata is one small Crab (usually less than 1.5 cm) with lots of big names : - Mosaic Boxer Crab for the mosaic patterns on its carapace and body - Boxer Crab because of the Anemone that it holds on its claws which it uses to defend itself as Anemone is poisonous to its predators, mostly reef fishes - Pom-Pom Crab because of the Anemone that it holds, when defending itself, it will waves the Anemone like the Pom-pom of the cheerleaders Anilao,Batangas,Boxer Crab,Geotagged,Lybia tessellata,Mosaic Boxer Crab,Philippines,Pom-Pom Crab

Appearance

''Lybia tessellata'' is a small crab growing to a width of about 2.5 cm . The carapace is trapezoid in shape and the margin has a distinct tooth-shaped projection on either side, just behind the short-stalked eye. The surface of the carapace is marked into several differently coloured, geometric regions by a network of dark lines giving it the appearance of stained glass. The chelipeds do not have the broad chelae typical of decapod crabs. Instead they are slim and each has a fine finger bearing eight or nine spines. The front pair of walking legs is smaller than the other three pairs but all are much larger than the chelipeds. The legs are banded with dark transverse lines, speckled with white spots and clad in sparse, short hairs. The claws at their ends are long and thin.
Mosaic Boxer Crab - Lybia tessellata This Mosaic Boxer Crab - Lybia tessellata are also known as Pom-Pom Crab for the anemone that they holds in their claws and waving it, just like cheerleaders with their Pom-Pom. Anilao,Batangas,Boxer Crab,Crab,Geotagged,Lybia tessellata,Mosaic Boxer Crab,Philippines,Pom-pom crab,Spring

Distribution

''Lybia tessellata'' is found in shallow water in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, its range extending from the Red Sea and the East African coast to Indonesia and New Guinea. It is found on sandy and gravelly seabeds, where it is well camouflaged, and on live corals where it clings with its long, thin legs.
Boxer Crab - Lybia edmondsoni Bali,Boxer Crab,Crab,Geotagged,Indonesia,Lybia caestifera,Lybia tessellata,Pom-pom crab

Behavior

''Lybia tessellata'' is an omnivore. It carries a small sea anemone, usually ''Bunodeopsis'' spp. or ''Triactis producta'', in each chela, holding its chelipeds out horizontally while moving around. If attacked by a potential predator, it will threaten the aggressor with an anemone, the tentacles of which are well armed with cnidocytes . It is unable to feed itself with its chelae and uses the tentacles of the anemones to collect food particles which it then removes with its mobile maxillipeds.

The red eggs of ''Lybia tessellata'' are carried around on the female's abdomen where they are brooded.

Habitat

''Lybia tessellata'' is found in shallow water in the tropical Indo-Pacific region, its range extending from the Red Sea and the East African coast to Indonesia and New Guinea. It is found on sandy and gravelly seabeds, where it is well camouflaged, and on live corals where it clings with its long, thin legs.

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassMalacostraca
OrderDecapoda
FamilyXanthidae
GenusLybia
SpeciesL. tessellata
Photographed in
Indonesia
Philippines