Porcelain Crab

ID points

• Purple-red round spots spread evenly over a white ground
• The third pair of walking legs is reduced, so it seems to have only three pairs
• Filter-feeds with feathery mouthparts, fanning them constantly

Basics

Family

Porcellanidae

Length

1–3 cm

Depth

1-30 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs

Distribution

Among anemones on tropical coral reefs

Habitat

Among anemones on tropical reefs

Diet

Plankton

Easily confused with

Harlequin ShrimpLarge purple-red blotches edged in dark on a creamy white groundSexy ShrimpA few large white patches edged in blue on a brown groundSignal GobyEach of the two dorsal fins carries a large eyespot, together like a face

Fun fact

The Porcelain Crab has a flattened body and lives among the tentacles of an anemone, sheltering behind its stinging cells. It feeds by straining plankton from the water with a pair of feathery mouthparts, and although it looks exactly like a crab it is in fact more closely related to hermit crabs.