Trapezia intermedia
| Trapezia intermedia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Brachyura |
| Family: | Trapeziidae |
| Genus: | Trapezia |
| Species: | T. intermedia |
| Binomial name | |
| Trapezia intermedia Miers, 1886[1] | |
Trapezia intermedia, also known as the common guard crab in Hawai'i,[2] is a species of guard crabs in the family Trapeziidae.[1]
Description
Trapezia intermedia is about 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in size and lives in the central Pacific Ocean. It has light brown and orange spotting over its body with red dots and blue eyes. These crabs are very protective of their home which can be found in between branches of coral which they hide among when they feel threatened.[2]
Habitat
It lives in coral reef areas and is commonly found in branching stony corals, especially species of Pocillopora.[3][4] It defends its coral host from coral eating species, such as the crown-of-thorns seastar.[5] In return, the coral host provides it with food and shelter.[5]
Behavior
It shows strong aggression toward other crabs of the same sex as this behavior helps maintain pairs and reflects its reliance on its coral host.[6] However, it does not show aggression to the opposite sex.[6] It also use its claws to remove debris and harmful organisms from the coral, helping keep its host healthy.[7]
References
- 1 2 "Trapezia intermedia Miers, 1886". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2025-07-11.
- 1 2 "Trapezia intermedia (Common guard crab)". Retrieved 2025-10-20.
- ↑ Canizales-Flores, H. M.; Rodríguez-Troncoso, A. P.; Rodríguez-Zaragoza, F. A.; Cupul-Magaña, A. L. (2021-09-19). "A Long-Term Symbiotic Relationship: Recruitment and Fidelity of the Crab Trapezia on Its Coral Host Pocillopora". Diversity. 13 (9): 450. Bibcode:2021Diver..13..450C. doi:10.3390/d13090450. ISSN 1424-2818.
- ↑ Preston, Eric M. (2021). "A Computer Simulation of Competition Among Five Sympatric Congeneric Species of Xanthid Crabs". Ecology. 54 (3): 469–483. doi:10.2307/1935333. JSTOR 1935333.
- 1 2 McKeon, C. Seabird; Moore, Jenna M. (2014-09-30). "Species and size diversity in protective services offered by coral guard-crabs". PeerJ. 2: e574. Bibcode:2014PeerJ...2.e574M. doi:10.7717/peerj.574. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 4183949. PMID 25289176.
- 1 2 Huber, Michael E (1987-04-01). "Aggressive Behavior of Trapezia Intermedia Miers and T. Digitalis Latreille (Brachyura: Xanthidae)". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 7 (2): 238–248. Bibcode:1987JCBio...7..238H. doi:10.2307/1548604. ISSN 0278-0372. JSTOR 1548604.
- ↑ Stachowicz, John J.; Hay, Mark E. (1999-09-01). "Mutualism and Coral Persistence: The Role of Herbivore Resistance to Algal Chemical Defense". Ecology. 80 (6): 2085–2101. doi:10.1890/0012-9658(1999)080[2085:MACPTR]2.0.CO;2. hdl:1853/36757. ISSN 0012-9658.