Help - Crab identification

[djordje]

Need help identifying one of my new discoveries.

It is a small crab that seems to prefer seclusion.
I was able to get a glimpse of it at night with a small led penlight.
Color seems to be beige/light tan.
No hair on legs.
From a distance, it appeared to be waving it's claws in the water column, continuously. With a closer look, it seems that this crab is equipped with some sort of appendages for filtering particulate out of water. Possibly like a feather duster.

If I could get a picture, I would attach one, but this thing tends to hide.

Could it be a blue crab? Maybe someone has something similar that can point me in some direction.

Rock was aquacultured off the florida coast in the Gulf, so it came from there.



Thanks,
Alex

[jenajet]

sounds like a pom pom crab. As the name suggest they have pom poms!

[djordje]

That's what I thought initially, but it doesn't seem to have the wild color pattern like the pom poms I've seen. Additionally, it doesn't seem to be holding anything. It appears to have "radar dish" shaped filter appendages built into it's front legs. They open and close as well.

[Paintbug]

Originally Posted by greenbean36191

Sounds like a porcelain crab. They're harmless filter feeders.

that would be my guess. these guys have what look like feather dusters on their claws. they use these to filter feed from the water column