crab molt

This is the empty shell of what has turned out to be quite a rare crab that came as a hitchhiker in a piece of live rock in my nano reef aquarium. It is quite remarkable that a crab can get out of its 'suit of armour' and leave it as a perfect replica of itself. When I first found a molted shell I thought I had found a second crab - they are so perfect with all tiny legs intact.

I have only found one reference to this particular crab and that was in a book called 'Every Crab in the World!' and that was only a tiny entry. Think he is quite a special little chap. Notable thing that you cant see in the pic is he has one large strong claw and one thin long claw that he waves about from his hiding place in the rock.