Lybia edmondsoni
Last updated
Gustav Paulay, FLMNH (Florida Museum of Natural History) · via Wikipedia: Lybia edmondsoni · CC0
Lybia edmondsoni is a small crab in the family Xanthidae, endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. It is commonly known as the pom-pom crab or boxer crab due to its habit of carrying a sea anemone in each claw, which resemble pom-poms or boxing gloves. Its Hawaiian name is kūmimi pua, meaning 'inedible flower crab.' In ancient times, this animal was used by men claiming to be sorcerers.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- CladePancrustacea
- ClassMalacostraca
- OrderDecapoda
- SuborderPleocyemata
- InfraorderBrachyura
- FamilyXanthidae
- GenusLybia
- SpeciesLybia edmondsoni
Named by Takeda & Miyake, 1970
Close relatives
Other species of Lybia with a Codexery entry.
- Lybia tessellata Lybia tessellata
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Lybia edmondsoni (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 444224 (CC BY 4.0)
Where the lybia edmondsoni has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (61 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 5 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Quick Facts
- Species
- edmondsoni
Facts from the source article.
Background
The carapace of L. edmondsoni can reach 0.5 inches in width and displays unusual polygonal patterns in pink, brown, or yellow. Its chelipeds are fine and delicate, with a flexible propodal-carpal joint and several backward-pointing spines, unlike the heavily armoured claws of most crabs. The walking legs are banded in dark purple, and on its favorite substrates—thin sand or rubble—the crab is almost invisible. The common name 'pom-pom crab' comes from its symbiotic practice of brandishing a stinging sea anemone (usually Triactis producta) in each claw to defend against predators and possibly to stun prey.
Its alternative common name, 'boxer crab,' comes from its pugnacious response to threats. Lybia edmondsoni is endemic to Hawaii but is very similar in size and behavior to its sister species, L. tessellata, which is more widespread in the tropical Indo-Pacific. It is found in shallow water down to about 20 m, hiding under rocks or among coral debris, and also on sandy and gravelly flats where it is well camouflaged, as well as on live corals where it clings with its long, slender legs.
More in Reef Crabs
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Lybia edmondsoni (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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