Purple Zebra Porcelain Crab

Petrolisthes bolivarensis

Also known as Caribbean Purple Zebra Porcelain Crab

SaltwaterCrab

Care at a glance

Temperature: 72–82°F (22–28°C)
pH: 8.1–8.4
Adult size: 0.8 in (2 cm)
Minimum tank: 11 gal (40 L)
Temperament: Peaceful
Social behavior: Solitary
Swim level: Bottom
Difficulty: Medium
Breeding: No record
Rarity: Rare
Reef safe: Reef safe
Origin: Southern Caribbean, off Colombia and Venezuela
Family: Porcellanidae

Overview

A peaceful filter feeder that fans the water with feathery mouthpart baskets rather than hunting anything, so it is safe with corals and other invertebrates. It hides very well and does not need a host anemone, unlike its better-known porcelain crab cousin. Target feed tiny pellets, frozen foods, or plankton, since a clean modern reef rarely carries enough suspended food on its own.

In the wild

Comes from hard bottoms and coral rubble in the southern Caribbean, off Colombia and Venezuela, where it stays wedged deep in crevices. In the aquarium it wants a rubble pile or tight rockwork to hide in and calm tankmates, since it has no real defense beyond staying out of sight.

Good to know

Petrolisthes bolivarensis is a porcelain crab in the family Porcellanidae, described in 2003 from the Caribbean coast of Colombia after long being lumped in with Petrolisthes galathinus. It wears purple zebra lines over the body, a pair of orange spots on each broad claw, and bright blue mouthparts, all on a body about 2 cm across.

Did you know

Porcelain crabs are not true crabs at all but flattened relatives of squat lobsters, and the group is named for how readily a limb snaps off when a predator grabs hold, a part the crab simply regrows.