''Lybia'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of small
crab
Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...
s in the
family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
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 is ...
. 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 contrast ...
s include boxer crabs, boxing crabs and pom-pom crabs. They are notable for their
mutualism with
sea anemone
Sea anemones are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates of the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classifi ...
s,
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''. 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 through t ...
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 sec ...
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 return, ...
''
(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