Eclectus Crab

Eclectus crabs are a small shore crab native to the Silver Desert's eastern coastlines. This species is highly invasive, migrating inland during nesting season, swarming towns and cities in their millions as they travel up the Kettle River and into Lake Kettle.

Taxonomy

This species is in the family Ocypodidae, alongside fiddler and ghost crabs. They are in the genus Fucypode, distinguished based on the protective plate atop the body.

Anatomy

Eclectus Crab by Mochi

Eclectus crabs are one of the most distinct crab species, with a striking pink, purple, and yellow colouration. Males have a yellow crushing claw and purple lesser claw, while females have a reversed colouration.

Upon close inspection a noticeable feature of eclectus crabs are the small appendages extending from the carapace plate and the largest pair of legs. These appendages are sensory organs, used to detect vibrations in the atmosphere. These vibrations tell the crabs where to move while migrating.

Eclectus crabs have small spots on the legs which sparkle in the dark. The tip of each leg has a small barb laced with a mild venom. This venom causes nothing more than lightheadedness and a small rash.

Reproduction & Growth

For most of the year eclectus crabs are found along coastlines. When they are ready to breed they will migrate up the Kettle River until they find Lake Kettle, the main breeding ground. Some crabs choose to distribute eggs in the river itself, occasionally in man-made waterways within riverside towns and cities such as Aricos.

A single crab will lay up to a million eggs on her own, microscopic in size. They grow relatively safely in this still water, the only threat being predation and pollution. Opportunistic hunters prey on the abundant crabs, while filter feeders passively consume thousands of eggs at a time.

These eggs hatch in a two-week period at the height of summer. Babies spend about two months in Lake Kettle until they grow to a centimetre in diameter, then they begin the migration back to the coastline.

A crab reaches sexual maturity in its second year. A female will cover her back in millions of microscopic eggs, and males will come along and crawl along piles of females, fertilising as much as he can in a single go. This act is known as crabpiling, and a single pile of males and females can stand up to a metre tall.

Habitat

Eclectus crabs inhabit shores and coastlines, preferably sandy. They follow tides as they rise and fall, sifting through sand to find food. They run along the coastlines in large groups, scattering when predators approach. They attempt to scare off predators using their bright colours, and if that doesn't fail, they will snap and lunge at anything that gets too close.

The distribution of these crabs has expanded in recent years. They were previously found just on the eastern coastlines of the Silver Desert, but have been introduced to the southern coastlines and the Yumyum Islands. Eclectus crabs have been introduced in these regions to tackle the overpopulating native wildlife, however the crabs have overpopulated the regions themselves, causing even more environmental issues. As a result, people are encouraged to kill these crabs outside of breeding seasons.