"This crab lives symbiotically with the teat-fish (Holothuria nigra). It hides under or among the tentacles, coming out from shelter at times, perhaps to feed, and crawling all over the body of its host on which it crouches if disturbed. Its dark purple coloring with white spots is protective, resembling the sticky black skin of the teat-fish with grains of coral sand adherent. Paler brown forms live on other Holothurians to whose color their own is adapted. The other two species taken by the Expedition are roughly speaking sand-colored, and there is no record of their living symbiotically with other organisms. The females of L. orbicularis show a very perfect condition of an arrangement found in various other swimming crabs. That is to say, there is a well-developed brood-pouch formed by a deep sternal hollow surrrounded with a fringe of hair and floored by the abdomen, whose sides are also edged with hair. One specimen had many fully hatched zoaeas in this pouch, and it would be interesting to know how long these young remain there, and how much of their development is passed there (Borradaile, 1902; pg. 200)."

Chagos, Comores, French Polynesian Exclusive Economic Zone, Indo-Pacific, Madagascar, Mayotte Exclusive Economic Zone, Mozambique, New Caledonian Exclusive Economic Zone, Réunion Exclusive Economic Zone, Seychelles, South Africa (country), Tanzania

Depth range based on 12 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 5 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 7 - 61
  Temperature range (°C): 24.091 - 25.567
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.154 - 1.347
  Salinity (PPS): 35.083 - 35.464
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.640 - 4.932
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.110 - 0.201
  Silicate (umol/l): 1.111 - 3.887

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 7 - 61

Temperature range (°C): 24.091 - 25.567

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.154 - 1.347

Salinity (PPS): 35.083 - 35.464

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.640 - 4.932

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.110 - 0.201

Silicate (umol/l): 1.111 - 3.887
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

"The species was taken on the shore and also dredged. It was found in Minikoi, Hulule, Male Atoll, Furnardu velu, Miladumadulu, South Nilandu, and Mulaku (Borradaile, 1902; pg. 200)."

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.


No available public DNA sequences.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 4
Specimens with Barcodes: 4
Species With Barcodes: 1

Genomic DNA is available from 1 specimen with morphological vouchers housed at Museum of Tropical Queensland