Arrow/Spider Crabs

Critter Spotlight: Stenorhynchus seticornis

Photo Credit: Bob Fenner

This spider-like crab is one of the more interesting crabs for use in marine aquariums. Since they are very aggressive towards each other, only a mated pair can be kept together. They should not be kept in any aquarium that contain feather dusters or tubeworms. Worm steak is always on their menu. I have even seen them snip off a piece of mushroom polyps. Otherwise, they appear to be fairly safe in the reef environment. They are also good small bristle worm consumers. Those seen in the trade usually hail from the Caribbean and the coast of Brazil, however the species is also found in the Eastern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

There are other species in this family, some not suited for the aquarium and they will be shown when they become available.

Family Inachidae

• Inachus phalangium (Spider Crab)
• Stenorhynchus seticornis (Arrow Crab)