Teddy Bear Crab

[firefighterj80]

Been trying to catch this guy for a few weeks now. Woke up this morning to find him actually in the trap. For the last couple months I thought I had a gorilla crab and looks to me like it's actually a teddy bear crab. Too bad these things aren't reef safe, super cool looking crab. He's been relocated to a local reefer with a "pest" tank.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

For the last couple months I thought I had a gorilla crab and looks to me like it's actually a teddy bear crab.

Great pics and a cool crab - glad to hear it's getting a good home!

Slight correction here - this crab appears to be a Common Hairy Crab, Pilumnus vespertilio, rather than a Teddy Bear Crab, Polydectus cupulifer; either way, definitely not reef safe, and still very fuzzy.

 

[firefighterj80]

Great pics and a cool crab - glad to hear it's getting a good home!

Slight correction here - this crab appears to be a Common Hairy Crab, Pilumnus vespertilio, rather than a Teddy Bear Crab, Polydectus cupulifer; either way, definitely not reef safe, and still very fuzzy.

No idea, I do know the common hairy crab eats mostly seaweed. This guy demolished some torch colonies and I'm pretty sure a couple small fish. Teddy Bear or hairy, he had to go regardless

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

No idea, I do know the common hairy crab eats mostly seaweed. This guy demolished some torch colonies and I'm pretty sure a couple small fish.

Yeah, they seem to be pretty opportunistically predatory:

Looks like it might be the Common Hairy Crab, Pilumnus vespertilio - not reef-safe, but would be a cool sump monster:

"In general, P. vespertilio consumes a wide range of foods, including crustose coralline algae and various other kinds of red/green/brown algae [2][22]. It is also known to prey on several intertidal animals, including brittle stars, marine gastropods (sea snails), bivalves (clams), bristle worms, and sea slugs [2][22]. In addition, they may also consume toxic zoanthids, which may make some members of this species mildly poisonous[4]."

Source:

https://wiki.nus.edu.sg/display/TAX/Pilumnus+vespertilio+-+Hairy+crab