TankBud

Tricolor Borneo crab

Lepidothelphusa menneri

Also known as Tricolor vampire crab, Tricolour Borneo crab, Three-colored crab, Tricolor panda Borneo crab

FreshwaterCrab

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
7.0–8.0
Adult size
0.6 in
1.5 cm
Minimum tank
11 gal
40 L
Temperament
Mostly peaceful
Social behavior
Social
Tankmates
With caution
Swim level
Bottom
Difficulty
Medium
Breeding
Medium
Rarity
Common
Family
Gecarcinucidae
Origin
Gunung Kelam near Sintang, West Kalimantan, Borneo

Overview

Gentle and social, this crab does best in a group of five or more in a species paludarium with moving water. It ignores snails and most adult shrimp but can catch shrimplets, and it should not share a tank with fish. Keep the water at 22 to 26 C, pH 7 to 8, well oxygenated and free of copper. Feed insects, bits of fish or shrimp, sinking crab pellets, and a little blanched vegetable. Tank-bred stock is now sold by some US shops, which is a better start than wild imports.

In the wild

The tricolor Borneo crab lives on Gunung Kelam, a forested hill about 20 km east of Sintang in West Kalimantan, where it sits at the edge of shallow creeks over gravel and stone, tucked among leaf litter and roots. It spends most of its time in or right beside the water, so build a paludarium of 40 liters or more with about 70 percent shallow flowing water and 30 percent land, a stone and gravel bed, leaf litter, and cover on both sides of the waterline. Keep the water cool and clean, 22 to 26 C, with a pH of 7 to 8, and cap the tank tightly because it climbs.

Good to know

Lepidothelphusa menneri was described by Ng and Wowor in 2024 in Zootaxa, the first member of its genus found outside Sarawak, in a paper that also drew on animals bought from the Singapore aquarium trade. The holotype male measures 12.7 by 11.5 mm and the largest known male 14.1 mm across the carapace, so this is a small crab with a legspan of around 4 cm. In life the carapace is split into three bands, bright yellow to orange at the front, dark brown to purplish black in the middle, and pale to bright blue at the back, with pale yellow claws and reddish brown legs. A single egg-carrying female held just 21 large eggs about 1.3 mm across, and the young hatch as fully formed crabs. It is collected in large numbers for export to Singapore, China and Europe, and its conservation status has not been assessed.

Did you know

This crab was on sale as the Tricolor Borneo crab for years before science caught up with it. When Ng and Wowor described it in 2024 they also examined crabs bought in the Singapore and Bekasi aquarium trade alongside the type series collected at Gunung Kelam, and they noted that its tiny clutches of about 21 eggs make heavy collecting a real worry, enough that they said the species should be regarded as vulnerable.

Common questions

What size tank does a Tricolor Borneo crab need?

A Tricolor Borneo crab needs at least 11 gal (40 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Tricolor Borneo crab need?

A Tricolor Borneo crab is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 7.0–8.0.

How big does a Tricolor Borneo crab get?

An adult Tricolor Borneo crab reaches about 0.6 in (1.5 cm).

Related species