Neopetrolisthes maculatus (Spotted porcelain crab)

Identification

White to creamy colored porcelain crab with numerous tiny red spots, or larger polygonal spots. The caprice is smooth and it lives on anemones.

Status

Unassessed by the IUCN Red list, but one of the more commonly seen porcelain crabs in the (Indo-)Pacific.

Habitat

It can be found  throughout the Indo-Pacific and Pacific ocean in tropical water, also Japan. It lives on anemones in shallow water, in a depth range of 0-10 meters.

Reproduction

Precopulatory mating rituals are common. Sperm transfer is indirect.

Size

Up to 3cm.

Prey / Predation

They are suspension feeders, using their specialized, fan-like claws to filter out food particles in the water. They also feed of the mucus of their anemone host, but they are not dependent on it.

Special features

This species is often named in one sentence with N. oshimai, but that has been determined not a different species, but a synonym for N. maculatus.