Neopetrolisthes maculatus

Neopetrolisthes maculatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Porcellanidae
Genus:	Neopetrolisthes
Species:	N. maculatus
Binomial name
Neopetrolisthes maculatus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1837)
Synonyms [1]
Neopetrolisthes ohshimaiMiyake, 1937 Petrolisthes ohshimai(Miyake, 1937) Porcellana maculataH. Milne Edwards, 1837

N. maculatus feeding on top of an sea anemone. Photo by Roy Kittrell

Neopetrolisthes maculatus, also commonly known as the Anemone Porcelain Crab ^[2] , is a species of porcelain crab from the Indo-Pacific region. ^[3] It is a small, colourful crustacean with a porcelain-like shell. It is usually found within the stinging tentacles of a number of sea anemone species. ^{[1] [4]}

Description

They have a round central body with a smooth surface. It shell is porcelain-like. They are colorful with numerous small red spots dotted across. ^[5]

Ecology

It is usually found on a number of large sea anemone species with each anemone generally containing single pair of crabs. There the stinging tentacles would protect them from potential predators. They are territorial of their anemones. ^{[4] [6]}

Diet

Despite their large claws, they do no use them to capture food and likely use them to defend themselves from predation. Instead they are filter-feeders using long bristles on their mouthparts like a broom sweeping out of the water column organisms such as plankton, algae, small crustaceans and other small organisms. ^[6]

Gallery

• 
  Neopetrolisthes maculatus at Wakatobi National Park, 2015
• 
  Close up of chelipeds of Neopetrolisthes maculatus, 2006
• 
  Close up of Neopetrolisthes maculatus at Lembeh, Indonesia, 2016
• 
  Chelipeds of Neopetrolisthes maculatus at Anilao, Philippines, 2014
• 
  Neopetrolisthes maculatus pouncing on carpet anemone, 2004
• 
  Neopetrolisthes maculatus near Sorong, Indonesia, 2015

References

1. Masayuki Osawa (2012). "Neopetrolisthes maculatus (H. Milne Edwards, 1837)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved November 24, 2012.
2. "Anemone Porcelain Crab (Neopetrolisthes maculatus)". iNaturalist. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
3. Masayuki Osawa & Patsy A. McLaughlin (2010). "Annotated checklist of anomuran decapod crustaceans of the world (exclusive of the Kiwaoidea and families Chirostylidae and Galatheidae of the Galatheoidea) Part II – Porcellanidae" (PDF). The Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Suppl. 23: 109–129. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-02.
4. Akira Asakura (2002). "The evolution of mating systems in decapod crustaceans" (PDF). In Joel W. Martin; Keith A. Crandall; Darryl L. Felder (eds.). Decapod Crustacean Phylogenetics. CRC Press. pp. 121–182. ISBN   978-1-4200-9258-5.
5. "Neopetrolisthes maculatus - Porcelain crab - Lembeh Resort". www.lembehresort.com. Retrieved 2025-12-12.
6. "Creature Feature: Neopetrolisthes maculatus | Western Australian Museum". museum.wa.gov.au. Retrieved 2025-12-12.

External links

• Media related to Neopetrolisthes maculatus at Wikimedia Commons
• Photos of Neopetrolisthes maculatus in the Sealife Collection