ReefNews photographer John Andre found this splendid Yellowline Arrow Crab on a reef near Bimini. John has made many trips to Bimini, and counts this tiny island in the Bahamas among his favorite places to dive.

The Yellowline Arrow Crab is one of the strangest crabs in the Caribbean. It has a cone-shaped body with long, gangly legs. The Yellowline Arrow Crab is small, with legs typically two or three inches long. The Yellowline Arrow Crab gets its name from the thin yellow lines running up and down its body.

The Yellowline Arrow Crab's eyes stick out from either side of its body. Notice the two purple claws on the crab's front legs. It is using its claws to pull up something from among the pebbles to eat. Also notice the red fuzz growing on the top of this crab's body. This fuzz is probably some kind of algae and may serve to give this crab some camouflage when it is hiding among the corals. Do you think this crab put that algae there on purpose, using its long legs and tiny claws?

Notice the two other kinds of red animals behind this crab. On the left is a colony of what appear to be Starlet Corals. Notice the many star-shaped patterns, with dark spots in their center and outlined by a thin white border. Each of these star patterns is one animal, called a coral polyp. On the right is a bright red sponge, possibly a Red-Orange Encrusting Sponge.

Compare this Yellowline Arrow Crab from Bimini with the Yellowline Arrow Crab from Belize in e-ReefNews Vol. 6 No. 5, at
http://www.reefnews.com/reefnews/news/v06/v06n05/wmshoes.html

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