Emerald Crab Gender Question

Spiffyguy · 05/28/2006, 12:17 PM

So I have an Emerald Mithrax crab who is about the coolest guy in the world. I want to get him a mate or at least a friend. He must be lonely. But I would like to get the opposite sex so he can get very friendly

I use he because I think he is a he. I have looked at the bottom of the carapace when he is eating. he likes to grab hold of seaweed on my feeding tongs and go for a ride.

Anyway the back part of his belly looks narrow at the back legs. I heard the females are wider there. But I have nothing to compare it too. Suggestions on how to verify that it is indeed narrow? Any place I can see comparasion images of male and female.

Thanks and Willy the crab thanks you too

Blown 346 · 05/28/2006, 12:53 PM

Read this thread, there is a pic of a female emerald upside down and info on how to tell. The pic is a few posts down. You will be able to tell if your he, is really a she.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...97#post7391597

Paintbug · 05/28/2006, 12:58 PM

yep

females have a soild plate that covers the eggs. the males have a narrow flap that covers their penis.

male(pic is not an emerald but looks the same)

female:

Spiffyguy · 05/28/2006, 12:58 PM

nice shot. mine must certainly be a male then. Not round like that at all. More tapered in the back. I tried to get a shot of his belly but he hides it well.

Spiffyguy · 05/28/2006, 01:00 PM

oh so there will be that gap in the center?? I don't see that on mine. Man I need to pull him out and flip him over lol. He isn't going to like that lol.

Paintbug · 05/28/2006, 01:13 PM

a male emeralds belly will look almost just like the in the pic. they also get much larger than the females. and their claws look like the incredable hulk arms. heres a shot of my male and female side by side. female is on the right.

Spiffyguy · 05/28/2006, 01:20 PM

ok thanks I will certainly check him out next time I get a chance. I would love to get him a mate. Did you have any problems with the two getting along? Also since you have them I will ask. Does yours ever molt? I have had mine for quite awhile. Maybe 9 months and he has never molted. Makes me a bit nervous. Thanks for the info again.

Paintbug · 05/28/2006, 01:30 PM

well, the two in the pic got along great until the day i took the pic.

as you can see her left claw is gone. i fed the tank some mysis shrimp and the female had found a piece. well i was looking for the male so i could give him some algae strip. he found the female first, grab the shrimp and her left claw. they faught for a few seconds until i could break them up. by then the damage was done. the female was hurting, and kept flipping on her back. so i flipped her over and pushed her close to a hole in the LR so she could hide. later that night i seen her on the highest point on the LR, so i figured she was ok since she was moving around. the next morning i found her belly up on the sand. im going to get a replacement one day, but right now hes "cut off" LOL.

my male has molted once in the year that i have had him. the female in the pic molted once in the 8-9 months i had her, and looked like she was about to molt again. i had another female that died after a molt. so they dont molt often.

05/28/2006, 12:17 PM	#1
Spiffyguy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: St Charles, Mo Posts: 1,633	Emerald Crab Gender Question So I have an Emerald Mithrax crab who is about the coolest guy in the world. I want to get him a mate or at least a friend. He must be lonely. But I would like to get the opposite sex so he can get very friendly I use he because I think he is a he. I have looked at the bottom of the carapace when he is eating. he likes to grab hold of seaweed on my feeding tongs and go for a ride. Anyway the back part of his belly looks narrow at the back legs. I heard the females are wider there. But I have nothing to compare it too. Suggestions on how to verify that it is indeed narrow? Any place I can see comparasion images of male and female. Thanks and Willy the crab thanks you too __________________ Spiffyguy Ain't life spiffy!! Click the little red house to see my fish tank. "The cheese stands alone." Current Tank Info: 55 with in tank sump and TBS rock, Aquactinics TX5, Remora HOB oh my. 10 gallon AGA with custom overflow and Aquaclear HOB, Black sand rubble zone.

05/28/2006, 12:58 PM	#3
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	yep females have a soild plate that covers the eggs. the males have a narrow flap that covers their penis. male(pic is not an emerald but looks the same) female: __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently

05/28/2006, 12:58 PM	#4
Spiffyguy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: St Charles, Mo Posts: 1,633	nice shot. mine must certainly be a male then. Not round like that at all. More tapered in the back. I tried to get a shot of his belly but he hides it well. __________________ Spiffyguy Ain't life spiffy!! Click the little red house to see my fish tank. "The cheese stands alone." Current Tank Info: 55 with in tank sump and TBS rock, Aquactinics TX5, Remora HOB oh my. 10 gallon AGA with custom overflow and Aquaclear HOB, Black sand rubble zone.

05/28/2006, 01:00 PM	#5
Spiffyguy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: St Charles, Mo Posts: 1,633	oh so there will be that gap in the center?? I don't see that on mine. Man I need to pull him out and flip him over lol. He isn't going to like that lol. __________________ Spiffyguy Ain't life spiffy!! Click the little red house to see my fish tank. "The cheese stands alone." Current Tank Info: 55 with in tank sump and TBS rock, Aquactinics TX5, Remora HOB oh my. 10 gallon AGA with custom overflow and Aquaclear HOB, Black sand rubble zone.

05/28/2006, 01:13 PM	#6
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	a male emeralds belly will look almost just like the in the pic. they also get much larger than the females. and their claws look like the incredable hulk arms. heres a shot of my male and female side by side. female is on the right. __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently

05/28/2006, 12:53 PM	#2
Blown 346 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Rockford, Illinois Posts: 6,596	Read this thread, there is a pic of a female emerald upside down and info on how to tell. The pic is a few posts down. You will be able to tell if your he, is really a she. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...97#post7391597

05/28/2006, 01:20 PM	#7
Spiffyguy Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: St Charles, Mo Posts: 1,633	ok thanks I will certainly check him out next time I get a chance. I would love to get him a mate. Did you have any problems with the two getting along? Also since you have them I will ask. Does yours ever molt? I have had mine for quite awhile. Maybe 9 months and he has never molted. Makes me a bit nervous. Thanks for the info again. __________________ Spiffyguy Ain't life spiffy!! Click the little red house to see my fish tank. "The cheese stands alone." Current Tank Info: 55 with in tank sump and TBS rock, Aquactinics TX5, Remora HOB oh my. 10 gallon AGA with custom overflow and Aquaclear HOB, Black sand rubble zone.

05/28/2006, 01:30 PM	#8
Paintbug Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Stoneville, NC Posts: 6,169	well, the two in the pic got along great until the day i took the pic. as you can see her left claw is gone. i fed the tank some mysis shrimp and the female had found a piece. well i was looking for the male so i could give him some algae strip. he found the female first, grab the shrimp and her left claw. they faught for a few seconds until i could break them up. by then the damage was done. the female was hurting, and kept flipping on her back. so i flipped her over and pushed her close to a hole in the LR so she could hide. later that night i seen her on the highest point on the LR, so i figured she was ok since she was moving around. the next morning i found her belly up on the sand. im going to get a replacement one day, but right now hes "cut off" LOL. my male has molted once in the year that i have had him. the female in the pic molted once in the 8-9 months i had her, and looked like she was about to molt again. i had another female that died after a molt. so they dont molt often. __________________ Never ask a girl over to see your crabs!! <-Tony-> Current Tank Info: NONE currently