Scott & Jeanette Johnson, Kwajalein Unterwater
Info
Etisus demani belongs to the genus Xanthidae, in this genus some crabs are poisonous to very poisonous, whereby the crabs do not produce the poison themselves, it is produced by bacteria or ingested through food.
Even intensive boiling does not destroy the toxin, which can also be lethal to humans.
Unfortunately, we do not have a complete and up-to-date overview of all poisonous Xanthidae crabs, so we must owe an indication of the toxicity bi Etisus demani.
Etisus demani is found under dead coral or rubble, overall the crab is light brown, sometimes with reddish brown spots or bands.
Their claws have paddle-shaped tips that are sometimes darker than the rest of the body coloration.
The crab attains a carapace width up to 2.5cm.
Many species of the family Xanthidae can be poisonous, although they themselves have no poisonous apparatus (poisonous teeth, poisonous spines, poisonous glands in the skin), the consumption of these crustaceans can even be fatal for humans. Such animals are considered passive-poisonous.
The toxins of crabs (saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin) are produced by endobacteria and stored in the flesh of the crab, these e are highly potent and similar to the neurotoxins of puffer fish and just as deadly.
In its raw and cooked meat, consumption of the crab meat is toxic to humans!
Please be sure to clarify whether the meat of these crabs is toxic or non-toxic before eating it!
Call an emergency doctor immediately at the first signs of poisoning (e.g. breathing problems, muscle cramps)!
The good news is there’s no way you can be exposed to these toxins if you don’t try to eat these crabs – a bite or a jab isn’t going to do the job.
The bad news for those who unwittingly consume these crabs is that cooking the meat isn’t going to make the toxins any less effective.
Fortunately, toxic crabs don’t want to be eaten just as much as we shouldn’t be eating them, so they help us out with their glorious warning colours.
Synonyms:
Chlorodopsis frontalis (Dana, 1852)
Leptodius molokaiensis Rathbun, 1906
Even intensive boiling does not destroy the toxin, which can also be lethal to humans.
Unfortunately, we do not have a complete and up-to-date overview of all poisonous Xanthidae crabs, so we must owe an indication of the toxicity bi Etisus demani.
Etisus demani is found under dead coral or rubble, overall the crab is light brown, sometimes with reddish brown spots or bands.
Their claws have paddle-shaped tips that are sometimes darker than the rest of the body coloration.
The crab attains a carapace width up to 2.5cm.
Many species of the family Xanthidae can be poisonous, although they themselves have no poisonous apparatus (poisonous teeth, poisonous spines, poisonous glands in the skin), the consumption of these crustaceans can even be fatal for humans. Such animals are considered passive-poisonous.
The toxins of crabs (saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin) are produced by endobacteria and stored in the flesh of the crab, these e are highly potent and similar to the neurotoxins of puffer fish and just as deadly.
In its raw and cooked meat, consumption of the crab meat is toxic to humans!
Please be sure to clarify whether the meat of these crabs is toxic or non-toxic before eating it!
Call an emergency doctor immediately at the first signs of poisoning (e.g. breathing problems, muscle cramps)!
The good news is there’s no way you can be exposed to these toxins if you don’t try to eat these crabs – a bite or a jab isn’t going to do the job.
The bad news for those who unwittingly consume these crabs is that cooking the meat isn’t going to make the toxins any less effective.
Fortunately, toxic crabs don’t want to be eaten just as much as we shouldn’t be eating them, so they help us out with their glorious warning colours.
Synonyms:
Chlorodopsis frontalis (Dana, 1852)
Leptodius molokaiensis Rathbun, 1906
