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Nep Crab & Nep people...

Heh on the chat the other day myself and others were discussing the crabs which inhabit/raid nep pitchers and how cool would it be to have them together. On Kingsnake there is now a seller with the Geosesarma sp. terrestrial crabs from malaysia. Seller is in Cali! :D

http://market.insecthobbyist.com/detail.php?cat=7&de=206880

If you're interested in doing an N. ampullaria & crab setup this would be the time to jump on it. I'm considering it since they are exclusively carnivores unlike hermits and I can do a planted setup with them.
 
Nice I wish they were Brackish.... I currently have 2 RCC's ina 40 gallon. With a few Poecilia reticulata.
 
Those are some neat looking crabs.
 
I've heard of crab spiders inhabiting pitchers, but I've never heard of crabs inhabiting pitchers. Is this some kind of April Fools joke?

-Hermes.
 
@hermo: nope, those are real symbiotic relationships. in certain cases these symbionts are actually obligatory nepenthephiles and are dependent upon certain neps for their species survival.
 
That would be pure, uncut awesome!

How large would such a setup need to be?
 
Hey Hermes they are real, here's some pics of Geosesarma crabs in ampullaria pitchers:

http://www.google.com/images?um=1&h...bs=isch:1&aq=f&aqi=&oq=&gs_rfai=&q=geosesarma

Seems that it isn't just G. malayanum who will raid pitchers but other species of Geos as well. According to Charles Clarkes Nep books they aren't really symbioic but rather comensals who will take what they can get and leave the plant alone. The dead bugs in the amp pitchers is easy pickins but sometimes the crabs get caught and devoued by the Nep too so it's apparently still a risky business for them.

These crabs get a carapace about 2 cm across so they're little guys - imagine how small it has to be to crawl into a pitcher. I'd be doing a setup in a 10 gallon tank for 2 pairs of the crabs.

I tried to get hold of some Misumenops nepenthicola crab spiders for a display of spider and N. rafflesiana but the guy who does crab spiders doesn't have that species (yet) I told him to get them for me if he has a chance to acquire some.
crab.JPG
 
  • #10
Well, it's official... I've got crabs! LOL

They should be coming next Wed. I will have 5 pairs and use a 20 L (30 x 12 x 12) all decorated awesome with a river along the front. This will be so fun!

Hey the guy selling them is Phillipe de Vosjoli the guy who writes all the terrarium books - how cool is that!? :D
 
  • #11
Wow, sounds like quite a project! What nep species will you be keeping with them? I imagine they'd have to have big pitchers even if they're small crabs though...
 
  • #12
The crabs are always shown/described as being around N. ampullaria. They are terrestrial crabs (but can climb) and the pitchers of N. amp have the diminished & reflexed lid and the pitchers sit upon the ground in established plants who make the pitcher carpet.

The crabs do not need N. ampullaria to live in, they simply raid the pitchers eating any larger insects they find. Another theory is that the crabs possibly just use the pitchers to soak in them to replenish the water on their gills as they travel through the forest and any prey they may happen to find in them is just a lucky happenstance since some believe ampullaria is more or less feeding on falling leaf litter than insects.
 
  • #13
Sounds cool! Do you plan on testing some cheap amp clones in the setup once it is finished?
 
  • #14
If someone can hook me up with an amp, I'll get some! I have a spare 10 gallon...... :p
 
  • #15
I ordered a couple amp varieties for the crabs even though I do currently have an amp harlequin. The display vivarium won't be complete for a while (getting started on the hardware portions tonight). I need to get some aquatic plants I want, have time for the various stuff like spray foam and silicone to cure, etc but I'm putting together a similar sized clear Sterlite tub-arium for them to be in from Wed. until the display tank is ready in a week or two. The temp tank will have a few live plants, mosses, some wood, a sphagnum island and a moat to play in. If only these 56QT tubs I use for plants were crystal clear you would never need to mess with glass tanks at all, their prices are certainly right.

I also ordered a rafflesiana incase those Misumenops crab spiders ever come available I'll be ready to go with them otherwise it'll just be a nice big tank with a giant raff BE99 clone and some companion plants in it.
 
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