INVERTEBRATES
FEELING CRABBY? Article By Dr. Jonathon Stillman, Marine Biologist Romberg Tiburon Center, San Francisco State University Petrolisthes galathinus, likely from Florida or Caribbean.
Relatively few crabs make great additions to a reef aquarium. Aside from certain hermit crabs, most other crabs commonly sold at your LFS have the potential to become predators or destructive forces in the reef tank. That is, most other crabs besides porcelain crabs. Porcelain crabs
Petrolisthes edwardsii and P. donario displaying the fan-like feeding appendages they use to catch suspended food particles. Collection site unknown, but likely tropical eastern PaciďŹ c.
are poorly known but are completely safe and colorful additions to any reef aquarium, especially small systems. Porcelain crabs may be one of the least conspicuous critters for sale at your favorite LFS and are often overlooked, so I hope that this article will be a great introduction to these colorful, diverse, and reef safe crustaceans.
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Petrolisthes cinctipes is a common inhabitant of the middle to upper intertidal zone from central California to British Columbia.