Eclectus Crab

Eclectus crabs are an invasive species of crab from Cilvarth. These crustaceans swarm coastlines in their millions, invading coastal towns and cities. They are an invasive species in Aricos, having found their way up the saltwater Aricos River.

Anatomy

Eclectus crabs have a similar anatomy to most crustacean species on Cilvarth. These crabs have four pairs of legs; one pair extending from behind their eye stalks used for gripping food items, and the other three pairs used for walking, extending from the bottom of the carapace.

Eclectus crabs get their name from their extremely bright, aposematic colouration. Both males and females display a red, yellow and purple colour palette, however for males their carapace is a yellow, while female carapaces are red.

Diet

Eclectus crab diets consist mostly of plant matter, however they can occasionally be found snacking on their own babies and other small organisms. They typically consume a diet consisting of of short grasses that grow close to the sea's edge, small tree roots and bark that can be ripped off with their pinchers, and if there is none available they will consume the animal life around the coasts.

During hatching season, billions of baby eclectus crabs will hatch and make their way across the beaches into the sea. Adult crabs will stand perfectly still and pick up as many baby crabs as they can in their pinchers and eat them. This not only supplies them with food, and many other animals, but also somewhat controls the ever-increasing population.

Aricosian Pest

In Aricos, eclectus crabs can be found in their millions in the Aricos River. This river is saltwater and is an escape route from coastal predators. But because of this, they have caused problems for Aricosians. Quite often, eclectus crabs flood streets and roads, and occasionally manage to break into houses. Because of the crab's overpopulation, citizens are encouraged to kill crabs that get in their way.