What Am I!? Kathy, I'm looking at you! Baby Viola?

dbolack · Post by **dbolack** » Tue May 08, 2007 5:04 pm

We thought we bought an interesting Ruggie. He was Sooooooooooooo shy, though, so we didn't get a great look. This guy was from Petco.

We think he's a young Viola.

Here's the album. http://s163.photobucket.com/albums/t292/dbolack/Chance

And here are a couple of hopefully useful teasers.

starmaiden · Post by **starmaiden** » Tue May 08, 2007 6:52 pm

I'm not Kathy, but I'm pretty sure you got yourself a Viola! Congrats!

They are a really shy and reclusive species.

dbolack · Post by **dbolack** » Tue May 08, 2007 7:07 pm

starmaiden wrote:I'm not Kathy, but I'm pretty sure you got yourself a Viola! Congrats! They are a really shy and reclusive species.

Didn't wanna sound picky but I couldn't remember who else had 'em.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue May 08, 2007 7:13 pm

That is a cute little viola! No doubt in my mind. Congrats!

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 09, 2007 6:44 pm

So, while this topic is up... And I'm having a hard time finding any other ID info on Violas... How do you tell them apart from Ruggies?

Thanks!!

Willow · Post by **Willow** » Wed May 09, 2007 7:26 pm

Violas have very dark eyes, larger than a PP's or an Indo's eyes, but smaller than an E's or Ruggie's eyes, and fire red antennae. Their BPs are usually reddish-brown, and the rest of their body is usually a dusty-violet, but the little guys can be reddish-brown all over. Their BPs are very smooth, with no stitch marks. They like weird shells. My Violas never dig unless they're moulting, but they do like to climb. They also like to hide under the driftwood. I've never seen them eat---they're very shy. Only one has changed shells, they don't seem to be shell-shoppers.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Wed May 09, 2007 7:27 pm

The claw for one looks very different, a viola has a smooth, oval shaped BP, and a rugs is more round, with stitch marks. Then there's the antenna, in violas it's always bright red, where the rugs color even at it's sdarkest is very orange. Then the eyes, in violas the eyes are parellel, and a rugs V outward. Violas eyestalks are dark, usually redish in color.

Herm-ez has an awesome page built which shows the differences. I think the link is in her siggy.

dbolack · Post by **dbolack** » Thu May 10, 2007 9:05 pm

Willow wrote: They like weird shells.

Tony's page shows they have a comparitively elongated squishybits and suggested that's why they like shellsother crabs don't like so much.

This Viola is in what I believe is a black apple murex.

NaRnAR · Post by **NaRnAR** » Thu May 10, 2007 10:34 pm

Look at that TOENAIL!! HolyMoley!! What a cutie!

tonycoenobita · Post by **tonycoenobita** » Fri May 11, 2007 6:24 am

I think she is a young Viola.

You can compare with the photos here:
http://www.tonycoenobita.com/species_violascens_eng.htm

dbolack · Post by **dbolack** » Thu May 17, 2007 8:50 pm

*Kathy* wrote:OH MY GOSH!!! How on earth did I miss this thread?!?!?!?! You KNOW how I love my violas!!!!

What an adorable little one!!! CanI have her???

Unfortunately, she didn't make it much past one week. :/ I was *pretty* sure this was the same crab I had seen surface molt at the store ( and thought it was just a PP from the shade of orange and the fact that our store just never got anything in the exotics mix. )

They got Indos two weekjs in a row, I'm crossing my fingers for tomorrow.