Ecological Gem: Xiao Liuqiu Discovers New Record Species of Crab in Taiwan

Text / Compiled and reported by Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel Life Network Scenic Spots Home

The waters around Xiao Liuqiu are a region rich in marine life, with new species continuously being discovered. A research team led by Luo Liuchi, a faculty member in the Department of Geography at National Kaohsiung Normal University, found two beautiful new record species of crabs in the intertidal zone of Xiao Liuqiu—Nucia speciosa (beautiful nut crab) and Arcania sagamiensis (Sagami bay crab). The beautiful nut crab is the first new record species found in Taiwan and also the first recorded discovery in its genus, the Nuciidae. It appears in the intertidal coral reef environment, but information about its life history and ecology remains very limited. Taiwan originally had five species of crabs in the genus Arcania, and the discovery of Arcania sagamiensis adds one more to this count. Its population has a geographical distribution mainly spanning from Japan, Hainan Island, Samoa to Fiji in the Pacific region.

The name "beautiful nut crab" comes from its Latin scientific name. Since the carapace of crabs in this genus resembles a drupe (a type of fleshy fruit), they are called nut crabs. The beautiful nut crab is a small crab, with a carapace width of only about 2 cm. Its entire body is pinkish with some granular bumps on the shell, resembling a raspberry—hence its English name, the raspberry crab. Its legs are relatively stout but short, and there are 5 to 6 blocky bumps on each side of the shell. On the granular carapace, there are also tumor-like bumps. Its population is scarce and rarely seen, mainly distributed in the Indo-Pacific region, including the Red Sea in the Middle East, India, Japan, Vietnam, and the Paracel Islands.

Arcania sagamiensis is a rare species in the same family as the beautiful nut crab, belonging to the Leucosiidae family. It is only about 1 cm in size, with an oval-shaped carapace. The edge of the shell has 10 distinct bumps, and the granular carapace features 15 tumor-like bumps, three of which are located along the central axis of the carapace. Its legs are more slender than those of the beautiful nut crab, and its forehead is more protruding, forming a V-shape. Specimens have been collected from the intertidal zone down to depths of 9 meters, but there is very little literature on its life history and ecological habits, making it somewhat of a mysterious creature.

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