Snapshot of the Spotted Porcelain Crab

What has large pinchers, spotted and lives in the ocean? The Spotted Porcelain Crab!

GENERAL INFORMATION

Neopetrolisthes maculatus, commonly referred to as the Spotted Porcelain Crab or the Porcelain Anemone Crab, is a Pacific ocean crab mainly found in the Eastern hemisphere of the world. The bright unique coloration it displays is the first thing people notice when looking at this crab. Along with many other organisms, the N. maculatus varies in size depending on the living conditions. In the ideal living conditions, this organism can grow up to 3.5cm in length. For such a small organism, they have developed large pinchers located at the front of their body. The Spotted Porcelain Crab has a very unique mutualistic relationship with a sea anemone; more specifically, the Phymactis papillosa (Valdivia and Stotz, 2006). Without the sea anemone, this crab would not exist. 

The image above is taken by Joris van Alphen. He has granted me permission to use this image on my web page. I would highly recommend clicking directly on the image to see more of his work!

On this web page, you will find a variety of information regarding the N. maculatus' classification, habitat and geography, adaptations, interactions with others, and additional facts. If you enjoy this web page, please take a look at the University of Wisconsin La Crosse's Multiple Organisms webpage. Here, you will be able to view a multitude of web pages about different organisms.

 

Next, read about the taxonomic classification of the Neopetrolisthes maculatus by clicking here.