Dead emerald crab :-(

[Nem0]

Came back from work to see my emerald dead in the sand. Wondering if it was a molt gone bad? His bottom belly exoskeleton was open, kinda like a flap. I haven’t seen him molt yet, I’ve had him for about 2+ months. He seemed to be healthy, eating and whatnot. Not moving around a crazy amount.

Only other thing I could think of is this white dot that grew on him. On the top of his exoskeleton- it looks like a white dot, similar to what some snails get on their shells. Dunno what this is.

 

[P-Dub]

That was a female emerald. The flap is where they brood their eggs. The white thing is likely a vermetid snail of sorts. Unlikely it was the cause of the crabs' demise unless it bored into the exoskeleton. It could be a molt gone bad. There could be any number of reasons a crab might perish. Mysteries of the deep...