#calappa

Box Crabs (Calappa spp.), family Calappidae

These are two Calappa gallus, more commonly known as the rough box crab or as I like to call it, the chicken crab(Gallus is the genus and species name of junglefowl.) The one on the left in the first photo is a male guarding its freshly molted mate. As with most crabs, box crabs can only mate when a female is fresh from its molt and the exoskeleton is not yet hardened. As I tried to get a photo of the female the male kept circling around it and then eventually nudging it into a rock crevice before joining her inside. Interestingly most other Calappa species rely on the males acting as the shelters themselves, instead of retreating into hiding. Males would envelop and carry the females from behind using their shield like chelae. I'm assuming it's due to C. gallus being a reef dwelling species that would have access to easy hiding spots while others like C. lophos or C. philarius inhabit sandy bottoms. And so as seen in the photos the male just kind of stands really close to its mate.

I really love arranging my curio shelves ❤️

The shame-faced crab!

Calappa cutout

The Japanese name for shame-faced crab is Calappa(Pronunciation is "kalappa"!). Calappa is scientific name that is derived from the Malay word Coconut!

Otherwise known as box crabs for their somewhat cuboidal exoskeleton, the shame-faced crabs comprising the genus Calappa were named for the wide chelae (claws) that shield their mouthparts, looking bizarrely like someone hiding their face in embarrassment. As far as we know, they haven’t done anything shameful, but there’s always time.