Acro crab disappears....weird creature takes its place...

[mrkrispy]

Hi Ron,

I have a weird dilemma/situation. I had an acro crab disappear several days ago. About two days after I noticed the disappearance, at night I found a weird critter in the acro using a flashlight. At first I thought it was the old crab waiting for a new shell to harden, but now it has been several days since and nothing has changed.

The critter has the face of the acro crab, but is very small. It is red and has the little broom things that flap from the mouth area. However, the entire rear part of the body is a completely clear, almost jelly like looking thing, kind of shaped like a shrimp or lobster tail. This thing is TINY, and since most of it is clear I can't get a good photo. The thing responds to light, it will move around the coral to hide.

At first I thought it was the acro crab molting, but now I almost think it is a baby acro crab. That would just be too weird though.

Any ideas? Thanks!

[rshimek]

Hi,

Just a guess, but from your description, it may be a small porcelain crab. If so, these are generally harmless.