Green emerald crab - Metasesarma spec.

The Green Emerald Crab Metasesarma sp. "Green Emerald" is a small mangrove cra b from the tropical jungles of Indonesia, but is also found in other parts of Southeast Asia. The Green Emerald crab is beautifully colored greenish yellow on the carapace, with brown or gray legs and red claw legs and yellowish green claw tips. This pretty land crab has a red facial mask, and its claws appear a bit spherical, almost as if inflated - typical of this Metasesarma sp. Males have a V-shaped tapered abdominal flap, while in females the wider abdominal flap is in the shape of an inverted U.

The very compatible mangrove crab Metasesarma sp. "Green Emerald" is very sociable and likes the company of conspecifics. Their carapace width is only up to 3 cm. A group of three emerald crabs (one male, two females) can be kept already in a smaller wetland terrarium from 40 cm edge length. There should always be more females than males in the group, we definitely recommend keeping in a species terrarium for these rare little crabs. Keeping in pairs is also possible, then already from 30 cm edge length, provided that the terrarium is well structured.

The breeding of Metasesarma sp. "Green Emerald" has already been successful in the hobby. The females carry a lot of tiny eggs and release larvae after their gestation period into brackish water or seawater. In freshwater these larvae do not develop. Therefore, for breeding, the females should be provided with a deeper dish with a shallow rim containing seawater or brackish water, and the crab larvae should be transferred to an appropriate rearing tank with brackish water after release. The crab larvae feed on phytoplankton and fine zooplankton.

The land crab Metasesarma sp. "Green Emerald" does not need a deep water part in its terrarium, a shallow bathing bowl with fresh water for drinking and wetting its legs is sufficient. A second shallow bowl with seawater is also gladly accepted. Basically, Green Emerald Crabs like to travel on land frequently, they love to climb.

The terrarium for the Green Emerald Crab should be furnished in a varied way and should offer hiding places (brown autumn leaves, bark, roots) and climbing opportunities (twigs, cork bark, stones) as well as digging opportunities. Bark mulch for the terrarium or terrarium humus are placed in a 8-10 cm high layer, so that digging is possible. The substrate must be permanently moist. Plants can also be used in the terrarium for this pretty little land crab, because Metasesarma sp. "Green Emerald" does not mess with plants.

For the Green Emerald Crab air temperatures between 20 and 30 °C are perfect, you can keep it as prima at room temperature. The terrarium for this Metasesarma species must be very tightly closed, the "Green Emerald" is curious and likes to go on a voyage of discovery.

Metasesarma sp. "Green Emerald" is a predominantly omnivorous crab, which needs besides fruits and vegetables also meaty food: Protein food, frozen food, unseasoned raw fish, freeze-dried insects and so on are all suitable here, for example. Special food for omnivorous crabs is also suitable for feeding the green emerald crab. White isopods or springtails not only take care of leftovers of crab food in the aquaterrarium, they are also gladly chased and eaten by the crabs.

Our food recommendation: Crabs in the wild tend to have a very varied diet. Most species are omnivores, and with the Natureholic Crab Feed Sticks we have taken this preference into account. They contain biologically balanced animal and plant components, which are also part of the natural food spectrum of omnivorous crabs in the field in such or such a similar way. The valuable ingredients of NatureHolic Crab Feed naturally support the molting, digestion, growth and reproduction of your crabs.

Our plant recommendation: For planting, use marsh plants, which are plants that are rooted in soil that is very wet or even submerged, but whose flowers and leaves are usually all or partially in the airspace and can be seen above the water surface. Thus, marsh plants are usually found on and in lakes and streams, but also on and in garden ponds or other bodies of water that provide them with a wet substrate, but still leave room for flowers and leaves to show to the outside.

Expert Tip: We recommend NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid when keeping invertebrates. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your invertebrates. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.