Pom Pom Crab (Lybia tessellata) – The boxer crab with symbiotic anemones

The Pom Pom Crab ( Lybia tessellata ), also known as the boxer crab, is a fascinating small marine crustacean belonging to the Xanthidae family. Native to the coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific, particularly around the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific , it lives mainly in shallow rocky and coral areas.

This crab owes its nickname "boxer" to its unique behavior: it holds a small sea anemone in each claw, which it waves around like pom-poms. These anemones serve both as a means of defense, thanks to their stinging cells, and as tools for capturing food. This relationship is a remarkable example of mutualistic symbiosis.

Small in size (approximately 2 to 3 cm), Lybia tessellata has a beige to light brown carapace decorated with whitish mosaic patterns. Discreet and nocturnal, it spends most of its time hidden in reef crevices.

Highly valued in marine aquariums for its original behavior and small size, the Pom Pom Crab is considered reef safe, as it generally poses no danger to corals or other reef inhabitants.