Red Burrowing Crab – Uca sp.

The exact identity and scientific name of the Red Burrowing Crab is still unknown, but they appear to be female Flameback Fiddler Crabs (Uca flammula) or Thicklegged Fiddler Crabs (Uca crassipes). Both are found in bays, estuaries, marshes and sand flats in the Indo-Pacific. Fiddler Crabs are inter-tidal species and must be provided with an area where they can emerge from the water, whether it be an emerged rock or a sand area. These Red Burrowing Crabs appear to survive well in full saltwater. They can be kept for awhile in an aquarium but benefit from having space to crawl out of the water. If this area isn’t secured, however, they have been known to escape from the tank.

The Red Burrowing Crabs are bright reddish-orange with roughly square bodies, and dark eye stalks, undersides and mandibles (mouth parts). They burrow into the base of rockwork structures and appear to be scavengers, feeding on leftover food and perhaps some algae. They can be target-fed with meaty items.