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Red-Spotted Box Crab - Calappa calappa
Red-Spotted Box Crab - Calappa calappa is a box crab, with red spots on its carapace. Their colour can be variable from cream to orange.
In this picture, it was seen during a night dive, feeding on a dead catfish. They usually burrows themselves into the sand during day time or to escape from predators.
First described as Cancer calappa by Linnaeus in 1758 from a specimen originating from Ambon Island, and later in 1781 as Cancer fornicatus by Fabricius, it was finally placed in the genus Calappa by Lancelot Alexander Borradaile in 1903. The name calappa is associated with kelapa, the Malay word for 'coconut'.
They usually come out at night to feed. In this picture, it was seen feeding on a dead catfish. They usually burrows themselves into the sand during day time or to escape/hide from predators.
''Calappa calappa'', also known as the smooth or red-spotted box crab, is a tropical marine species of crab with an Indo-Pacific distribution, and showing great variability in its patterning and colouration. First described as ''Cancer calappa'' by Linnaeus in 1758 from a specimen originating from Ambon Island, and later in 1781 as ''Cancer fornicatus'' by Fabricius, it was finally placed in the genus ''Calappa'' by Lancelot Alexander Borradaile in 1903. The name ''calappa'' is associated with ''kelapa'',.. more
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