Sea spider crab, Nymphon sp., with egg massWe took an underwater photography trip to the Philippines in December 2016. We returned in November 2024.
Crabs are decapod crustaceans.
Sea spider crab, Nymphon sp., with egg mass
Yellow dot guard crab, Trapezia lutea
Red-dotted guard crab, Trapezia cymodoce
Hairy coral crab, Quadrella boopsis
Blue swimming crab (left male, right female), Portunus pelagicus
Soft coral crab, Hoplophrys oatesii
Procelain crabs superficially resemble true crabs but are related to squat lobsters. They have three rather than four pairs of walking legs.
Barrel sponge porcelain crab, Aliapoicellana spongicola
Spotted porcelain crab, Neopetrolisthes maculatus
Haig's porcelain crab, Porcellanella haigae
Hermit crabs have an asymmetrical soft abdomen that is concealed in a scavenged gastropod shell carried by the crab.
Bristled (White-spotted) hermit crab, Dardanus megistos
Anemone hermit crab, Dardanus pendunculatus
Hermit crabs, <TBS>
Small white hermi crab, Calcinus minutus
Dark knee hermit crab, Dardanus lagopodes
Beautiful hermit crab, Calcinus pulcher
Decorator crabs use material from their environment to hide from or ward off predators.
Decorator crab, Camposcia retusa
Corallimorph decorator crab, Cyclocoeloma tuberculata
Orangutan crab, Oncinopus sp. 1
Zebra crabs live in association with Indo-Pacific sea urchins. The last segment of each leg forms a hook to hold onto sea urchin spines.
Zebra crabs, Zebrida adamsii
Spider (wire coral) crab, Xenocarcinus cf tuberculatus
Squat lobsters hold their long tails curled under the thorax. They are related to hermit crabs and porcelain crabs.
Pink squat lobster, Lauriea siagiani
Elegant crinoid (feather star) squat lobster, Allogalathea elegans
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Last modified 11 December 2024