Porcelain Crab

Porcelain Crab, common name for a group of small crustaceans usually characterized by flattened bodies and broad, flattened claws. Porcelain crabs commonly live beneath stones along the shores of warm seas. Their habit of scuttling over the surface of stones to flee predators has led to their alternate name of “rock sliders.” Porcelain crabs can “amputate” their own claws with little apparent effort. The crab raises its claws in a belligerent attitude when approached, and if the claw is grasped, it will quickly drop off. The crab will then scurry away, and later a new claw will grow.

The spotted porcelain crab, which inhabits coral reefs, lives among several species of sea anemones for shelter and protection. The tentacles of the sea anemone are poisonous to other organisms. However, the porcelain crab moves among the stinging tentacles unharmed, even entering the sea anemone’s mouth safely. The anemones are not harmed or helped by the presence of the crab; such a relationship is known as a commensal relationship.

Scientific classification: Porcelain crabs are members of the family Porcellanidae. The spotted porcelain crab is classified as Neopetrolisthes maculatus.