''Lybia'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of small
crabs in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Xanthidae
Xanthidae is a family of crabs known as gorilla crabs, mud crabs, pebble crabs or rubble crabs. Xanthid crabs are often brightly coloured and are highly poisonous, containing toxins which are not destroyed by cooking and for which no antidote i ...
. Their
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often contra ...
s include boxer crabs, boxing crabs and pom-pom crabs. They are notable for their
mutualism with
sea anemones,
which they hold in their claws for defense. In return, the anemones get carried around which may enable them to capture more food particles with their tentacles. Boxer crabs use at least three species of anemones, including
''Bundeopsis'' spp. and ''
Triactis producta
''Triactis'' is a genus of sea anemone in the family Aliciidae. It is monotypic, having only one species – ''Triactis producta''. This is found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific where it lives on the seabed, rocks and corals. It derive ...
''. The bonding with the anemone is not needed for survival, however, and boxer crabs have frequently been known to live without them, sometimes substituting other organisms such as
sponge
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...
s and
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secre ...
s for the sea anemones.
The genus ''Lybia'' contains the following species:
*''
L. australiensis''
(Ward, 1933).
*''
L. caestifera''
(Alcock, 1898).
*''
L. denticulata''
(Nobili, 1905).
*''
L. edmondsoni''
(Takeda & Miyake, 1970).
*''
L. hatagumoana''
(Sakai, 1961).
*''
L. leptochelis''
(Zehntner, 1894).
*''
L. plumosa''
(Barnard, 1947)
*''
L. pugil''
(Alcock, 1898).
*''
L. tessellata''
(Latreille ''in'' Milbert, 1812).
*''
Lybia tutelina
''Lybia'' is a genus of small crabs in the family Xanthidae. Their common names include boxer crabs, boxing crabs and pom-pom crabs. They are notable for their mutualism with sea anemones, which they hold in their claws for defense. In retur ...
''
(C. G. S. Tan & Ng, 1994).
References
External links
Boxer Crab, ''Lybia tesselata'' Aquarium World
Xanthoidea
Crustacean genera
Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards
{{Crab-stub