juvenile of Strawberry (Coenobita perlatus)

[tonycoenobita]

Hi everyone,

I am still guessing what colour the juvenile of Strawberry (Coenobita perlatus) is!?!?

1. According to the information (a Japanese article and Japanese website), juvenile tend to white in colour with orange band. Orange / red colour will become much more when they grow. The juvenile Strawberry may be like the blow photos:







And the growing cycle like this(search from website):



2. However, there is another photos showing that the juvenile of Strawberry is also in orange colour. See blow photos.




I just wonder
-if point 1, the crabs in white colour with orange band is just another species, but not juvenile of Strawberry (Coenobita perlatus).
-if juvenile of Strawberry (Coenobita perlatus) in fact have 2 growing process (pint 1 & point 2)depends on different location which they live.

Anyone have more information about this?

[Guest]

The second two crabs you pictured, are of my micro straw, "Flicker".

She has now molted 3 times with me, and while she hasn't grown in size, she still is maintaining her very red color. I can't figure it out! I also have two teenie straws, also juvenile, but both of them have lost coloring. Both of my teenies now look like the first straws you have pictured.

I will try to get some pictures of all three of my juveniles tomorrow & post them for you to see.

[Rebecca C]

I'm not so sure about this because I haven't had Straws and I don't know too much about them; but If you look closely at the first photo in the second point, you can sort of see a trace of the first point and the one leg in the same picture still has a bit of the band thing going on. Maybe it is in a different stage or maybe they are just different due to the fact that each crab is different, though I agree with you about it having to do with location. Sorry I'm not much help!


~Ashley

[Mokulele_Hawai'i]

I just wonder
-if point 1, the crabs in white colour with orange band is just another species, but not juvenile of Strawberry (Coenobita perlatus).
-if juvenile of Strawberry (Coenobita perlatus) in fact have 2 growing process (pint 1 & point 2)depends on different location which they live.

Hi Tony ... how are U ?
so long not hearing from you. I quite sure that C.perlatus may change their body color from time to time, depends on the nutrition they gain from their diet regardless their age. Anyway, the young strawberries indeed tend to have lighter color than the adult ones. Just like C.violascens - most of the juvenile specimens are in rich orange color - but it doesn't guarantee that ALL juvenile Komurasaki are in orange/fire red ( occasionally, I could find juvenile in light purple, dark brown, or greyish blue ).

[brad873]

its just things. like a ruggie, thay can be many shades of red or whire when they are babys, it depends on the parent crabs

[annopia]

those are some different looking straw eyes in that pic-seem a bit too beady to me. but then again ive never looked at marine hermies with any seriousness, so i wouldnt really know.


by departed baby straw Peppermint started out (as a teenie) with bright red coloring:



lost a bit in her first molt:



but lost drastically in her second molt to attain the candy striped look:



so, my bet would be on lighting problems, since i feed a very extensive diet and only use natural sunlight from indoors. i just really hate lights though.

Caroline

[tonycoenobita]

Hi annopia,

Thanks for your pictures.

About losing colour of straw, I have also asked for this in another post:
viewtopic.php?t=53661&highlight=

Is seems that lighting really affect the body colour of straw.

[tonycoenobita]

My baby Straws were all bright red when I got them, and I wondered why everybody says they're stripey when they're little. But then they did become more white after they moulted, one of them even has an all-white BP now. I have a UVB light on the "big crab" tank, but didn't have one on the "little crab" tank until now. I just added one about a week ago, and, maybe it's my imagination, but they look darker red already! I hope this new lighting helps them to stay red.

Hi Willow,

Do you have any photo for us to compare their body colour , e.g. "before lighting" & "after lighting"?

I really hope that we can share more experience about the relation between lighting and body colour of Straw.

If we can conclude lighting is so important for straw, I think lighting need to be added as a "must" for keeping straw.