Red Devil Crab (Geosesarma Hagen) Species Profile & Care Guide

The Red Devil Crab is a semi-terrestrial species that is attractively marked. These Crabs do well in a semi-aquatic environment, and they thrive in captivity. Red Devil Crabs are an excellent choice for nano aquariums or paludariums.

Red Devil Crabs get on well with their own kind and can be kept in groups and are generally peaceful, although males may, on occasion, clash for territory. While it gets on with its own species, it is often aggressive with other types of Crabs, including other Vampire Crab species. You can house these Crabs with small fish, Crayfish, Frogs, and other Amphibians. They have fascinating behaviours and are pretty active during the day, very hardy and easy to keep.

Red Devil Crabs are a dark brown colour with the claws and parts of the carapace being bright orangey-red on the adults. They have bright yellow eyes, which contrast distinctly with their orange abdomens. They have two small claws that are similar in size. The claws do not open very wide, so they are not able to pinch you.

Natural Habitat of the Red Devil Crab

Red Devil Crabs are endemic to the island of Java in Indonesia in Southeast Asia. They inhabit forest areas near rivers, streams and ponds that are surrounded by leaf litter and vegetation. Red Devil Crabs spend a majority of their time on the land; however, they often descend into freshwater, especially when moulting.

Other Crabs of interest

Diet

Red Devil Crabs are omnivorous scavengers and eager hunters on occasion. It feeds on detritus and filamentous algae in the aquarium and readily accepts high-quality dry foods rich in plant material, including sinking flakes and pellets.

Dried and fresh vegetables are also excellent food sources, as well as other invertebrates, worms and insects. The Red Devil Crab may eat other ornamental invertebrates and fish because of its opportunistic nature, so you must choose their tankmates wisely.

Breeding the Red Devil Crab

Red Devil Crabs is a rare valid freshwater species that has developed a natural reproductive cycle. The large eggs hatch out into small but fully developed miniature versions of the adult Crabs.

The breeding manner is fundamental. Vampire Crabs do not have mating rituals. The male turns the female upside down and wraps himself around her to fertilise.

After mating has taken place, it takes around one month for the eggs to hatch. Before hatching, females will become reserved and begin hiding all the time.

Depending on their size, females can carry anything from twenty to eighty eggs. The females give birth to live, fully formed miniatures of the adult Vampire crab. Freshly hatched crabs are only 1 to 2 mm in length. They will not survive without their parent and may stay under her stomach for several weeks.

Unfortunately, cannibalism can happen between the crabs when the brood-care behaviour has ended, so, therefore, you must separate the mother from the babies. Otherwise, only a small number of young will reach adulthood.

Baby crabs may also become prey to their siblings during the moult. So, it is essential that you provide as many hiding places as possible. Ideally, it would be better if you also separated them by size.

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