Geosesarma Sp Vampire, Yellow Eyes And M. Aubryi

[Kevin_D]

Received these three species of Crabs today, both the Geosesarma species are true freshwater Crabs, and can be bred in a freshwater aquaterrarium. Im not sure if the Metasesarma are yet, but I think they may also be a true freshwater species.

Pictures can be found of all the species on google, i'll try to get some pictures when they are settled (with a mobile phone, so may not be great.) and post them here.

 

[three-fingers]

Awesome, how big are they?

Make sure you take pics!

 

[raptorrex]

Received these three species of Crabs today, both the Geosesarma species are true freshwater Crabs, and can be bred in a freshwater aquaterrarium. Im not sure if the Metasesarma are yet, but I think they may also be a true freshwater species.

Pictures can be found of all the species on google, i'll try to get some pictures when they are settled (with a mobile phone, so may not be great.) and post them here.

Geosesarma Sp Vampire
they are not aquatic crabs but land crabs. from the very little info on them, they dont go near water that often, and then only allowing their legs to get wet, so the German keeper says. they need high end brackish to full marine to breed though.

 

[Kevin_D]

Are you sure they need high end brackish to breed? all the info Ive been given would suggest they can be bred with only access to freshwater.

This is an interesting thread on them

<a href="http/www.suesswasserkrebse.de/wbb2/threa...74b198a48968144" target="_blank">http/www.suesswasserkrebse.de/wbb2/threa...74b198a48968144</a>

edit:

There are also several threads in this forum, that would suggest that they dont need brackish to full marine water to breed

<a href="http/www.krabben-portal.de/viewforum.php?f=8" target="_blank">http/www.krabben-portal.de/viewforum.php?f=8</a>

Quite a few people in Germany have bred them judging by the baby pictures on that, and other forums, none suggest that they need brackish or marine water, the fact that they are freshwater is mentioned.

I started a thread on another forum to confirm whether they do need brackish to marine, and have been told that they dont need it.

http/www.krabben-portal.de/viewtopic.php?p=3433#3433

 

[Kevin_D]

three-fingers, I tried taking pictures, but they werent very good. I'll try again to get some pictures of them.

The Vampire Crabs, and Yellow Eyed Crab are around 3cm at the moment. The Metasesarma are slightly larger, around 4cm.

 

[severum boy]

Any excuse to show these of eh Kevin!
Are you planning to give breeding a go?

 

[Kevin_D]

Im hoping to breed them, apparantly they arent that difficult to breed, and the young can even be kept with the adults apparantly.

 

[severum boy]

Does the German seller breed them or just import them? I cant remember now if you got them from him or someone elce.

 

[Kevin_D]

Does the German seller breed them or just import them? I cant remember now if you got them from him or someone elce.

I got them from wilder reptiles, from within the UK. I dont know if they are captive bred or wild caught though?

 

[raptorrex]

Are you sure they need high end brackish to breed? all the info Ive been given would suggest they can be bred with only access to freshwater.

This is an interesting thread on them

<a href="http/www.suesswasserkrebse.de/wbb2/threa...74b198a48968144" target="_blank">http/www.suesswasserkrebse.de/wbb2/threa...74b198a48968144</a>

edit:

There are also several threads in this forum, that would suggest that they dont need brackish to full marine water to breed

<a href="http/www.krabben-portal.de/viewforum.php?f=8" target="_blank">http/www.krabben-portal.de/viewforum.php?f=8</a>

Quite a few people in Germany have bred them judging by the baby pictures on that, and other forums, none suggest that they need brackish or marine water, the fact that they are freshwater is mentioned.

I started a thread on another forum to confirm whether they do need brackish to marine, and have been told that they dont need it.

[URL="http/www.krabben-portal.de/viewtopic.php?p=3433#3433"]http/www.krabben-portal.de/viewtopic.php?p=3433#3433[/URL]

sorry about the late reply! well as you know i was quoting a post from a thread you started, got the German link from that too. oddly the thread is still there, but the post looks to have been removed . as you say some of the people from these forums seem to have breed then in fresh, though closer inspection shows, though my German is bad, that many of the offspring died! it is true that Geosesarma genus crabs are identified by their "fresh water habitat". but Coconut crabs have a "land Habitat". but they still need seawater to spawn in!!

i have to say until, someone can come up with some scientific evidence, of the breeding of these critters. we can not be sure of anything. thorough the fact that the crabs keep their young till they are fully formed before they release them, would seem to indicate that only fresh water is needed. then again, if you look at the natural environment these guys come from, though i realise it is not exclusive, it tends to be river banks and sandy areas, so there is some indication they may be estuary dwellers, initially at least. and even the much vaunted "freshwater Rainbow crab" needs brackish to full marine to breed, though they are all wild caught, and not breed in captivity, as you know keeping them.

 

[Kevin_D]

I do see your point, to me though the evidence that they can be bred with no access to sea/brackish water is overwelming. Raising of the young with no brackish/sea water im not too sure of now though? it has likely been accomplished though, hopefully I will be able to find out.

 

[raptorrex]

I do see your point, to me though the evidence that they can be bred with no access to sea/brackish water is overwelming. Raising of the young with no brackish/sea water im not too sure of now though? it has likely been accomplished though, hopefully I will be able to find out.

lol, i see your point too. however this, evedence, is in fact anecdotes, from others who say they have had successes, though compelling it is far from overwhelming!

here is a thought on how they may do it: it seems these guys, after they mature, don't really like water. liking to get only their feet wet. if the water on their feet dries, all that is left is the solid content of the water. this could be rubbed on the egg pouch, or transported in some other way to the eggs. or more probably, the female simply collects the needed salts and minerals, during the period it is not carrying eggs, and deposits the result with the eggs, in her pouch.

either way, all the scientific research, little though there is, stops when it comes to the breeding cycle. all, without exception, state that the research has yet to be done, or published. and there in is the problem, to me anyway, should we be keeping, any critter, that has yet even to be properly catalogued?

 

[Kevin_D]

I dont really see too much of a problem, lots of species not yet identified are kept. There is lots of information on their general care, so people buying them can have a good idea. I understand about taking them from the wild though, which I cant really do much about, if I didnt buy them there would still be plenty of people who would. And since they can apparantly be bred and raised in captivity hopefully they wont need to be taken from the wild soon.

In the latest post on the thread I started, linked above, Ive been told that someone has 3 month old Crabs captive bred, with no fatalities as of yet, I suspect the numbers of people breeding these Crabs, in Germany especially, will rise. If Crabs bred in captivity were to produce baby Crabs with no access to seawater would you then agree that they dont need it? I dont know if that has happened yet.

 

[raptorrex]

I dont really see too much of a problem, lots of species not yet identified are kept. There is lots of information on their general care, so people buying them can have a good idea. I understand about taking them from the wild though, which I cant really do much about, if I didnt buy them there would still be plenty of people who would. And since they can apparantly be bred and raised in captivity hopefully they wont need to be taken from the wild soon.

In the latest post on the thread I started, linked above, Ive been told that someone has 3 month old Crabs captive bred, with no fatalities as of yet, I suspect the numbers of people breeding these Crabs, in Germany especially, will rise. If Crabs bred in captivity were to produce baby Crabs with no access to seawater would you then agree that they dont need it? I dont know if that has happened yet.

ok where, apart from a very few German sites, where are these things even mentioned? i am not saying they are not, just i cant find any other mentions.

whilst i take your point, on species that have not been catalogued these are, as i have said, not even mentioned anywhere else.

as for those breed in Freshwater, well if they all, or most, survived to breed, sort of. there is no telling what may happen as the generations unfold. the evedence is still simply anecdotal. whilst you may find the postings of a few people overwhelming, i find it mealy compelling, but far far away from conclusive.

 

[Kevin_D]

Its probably only mentioned on a few German sites because the keepers there are the only ones to deal with this species upto now? I cant find any information on these Crabs in English, or scientific information on them, only other threads Ive started or posted on.

Having thought about it I agree the evidence is for now mearly anecdotal, I personally take from the information ive read though that breeding without saltwater is possible, i'll certainly treat my ones in that sense, and keep them in the conditions that keepers in Germany who has bred them keep them. I cant say for certain that problems wont arise in future generations though, hopefully a lot is learned about these Crabs in the next few years.