Everything you need to know about Lepidothelphusa SP (Panda Crabs, Sarawak land crabs, Borneo Crabs).
If you are thinking about keeping Lepidothelphusa crabs as pets this article has all the information you’ll need to create the perfect environment for your crabs and how to keep them thriving.
Lepidothelphusa Overview
Scientific name: Lepidothelphusa (multiple species)
Common name: White scissor crab, Sarawak land crab, skull crab, Borneo Crab, Panda crab. Though there are a few different varieties with different common names.
Difficulty level: Intermediate | Expert
Origin/Distribution: Borneo/Sarawak/Indonesia
Colouration: Carapace and claws white to yellowish, legs and eyes purple to black, blue bodies, and rainbow colours.
Age expectancy: 2–3 years (estimates)
Parameters: GH 6 to 25, KH 3 to 20, temperature 23 to 28 °C
Size of the Paludarium: from 60x30x30cm | 23x11.8x11.8in for a group of five crabs, water part (freshwater) of at least 50% 10–15 gallons of horizontal space. Not a vertical enclosure.
Food: Brown/dead leaves, frozen food, freeze-dried insects and crustaceans, fish meat, special food for crabs, vegetables, green food, and fruit. All the same stuff standard Vampire Crabs eat.
Reproduction: The same process as Vampire Crabs. Though slightly less cannibalistic.
Behaviour: Mostly peaceful, group animal 5 or more.
Coinhabitants: Shrimps, snails, springtails, and isopods which however can be eaten.
All currently known species
Lepidothelphusa cognettii
Lepidothelphusa flavochela
Lepidothelphusa limau
Lepidothelphusa loi
Lepidothelphusa padawan
Lepidothelphusa sangon
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Appearance
The White Scissor Crab (Lepidothelphusa) has a carapace and claws that are white to yellowish, while the legs and eyes are purple to black. Though there are quite a few other different colour variations. It is a small crab, reaching a carapace diameter of 3–4 cm. Some species are also orange and red, as in the example below.
Habitat
It is found in karstic hilly areas with hard water, in the Borneo rainforest, particularly in accumulations of foliage near streams and waterfalls It can live both on land and in water but needs both to survive. Pristine water is a must when keeping these crabs in captivity.
Paludarium Requirements & Tanks Size.
Unlike Geosesarma species (Vampire Crabs) Lepidothelphusa species crabs require an environment that is 40–30% land and 60–70% water. As these crabs come from tropical rainforest areas with pristine water, waterfalls, and flowing streams. This means that water quality needs to be a high priority when keeping these crabs.
While Vampire Crabs can be kept in tanks as small as 5 gallons these crabs should be kept in at least 10 -15 gallons to provide an adequate land and water ratio as well as a population of at least 5 crabs. This would be extremely hard to do in a 5-gallon tank. When choosing a tank length is more important than height!
TIP: It’s also a really good idea to use clay in your environment as the crabs will make their own burrows and tunnels in it. A great way to do this is along your land/water barrier, simulating a clay riverbank environment.
Temperature and Water Parameters
Air Temperature: 23 — 28 °C
Water Temperature: 22 — 25 °C
Humidity: Above 75%
PH 7.5- 8.0 (acidic water is bad)
KH 0–10
GH 4–16
Nitrate: Lower than 20ppm
Flowing/Moving water. Not a torrent. But movement is required.
Super Important: Lepidothelphusa crabs come from tropical regions, but they are vulnerable to high water temperatures so water temperatures shouldn’t spend prolonged times above 25 °C.
Important: The Paludarium must have a tight closure to prevent escape.
Population — How many Lepidothelphusa crabs per tank?
It is recommended to keep Lepidothelphusa crabs in groups. A group of 10 animals can be kept in an 80x30x30 cm paludarium, while a group of 5 animals can be kept in a 60x30x30 cm tank. As with Vampire Crabs, you should keep the male-to-female ratio at 1 male to 2 females where possible to prevent fighting.
These crabs are far more social than vampire crabs so it’s highly recommended to keep them in a group of 5. Unlike vampire crabs, Lepidothelphusa species aren’t particularly aggressive towards each other. Though they will still squabble over females and space sometimes.
Can you Mix Lepidothelphusa crabs?
Just like with Vampire Crabs, it’s not possible to mix Lepidothelphusa crabs without major issues with fighting.
Feeding | Foods
Lepidothelphusa Crabs are omnivorous but prefer a high-protein diet of fresh/raw food rather than dried or processed food. Meat is a key part of their diet.
Boiled nettle
Boiled spinach
Boiled beans
Boiled peas
Boiled corn
Boiled zucchini
Banana
Fish
Shrimp
Clams
Snails
Small Crickets
Most other smallish bugs
Shrimp pellets are also good
They will also eat any worms and isopods they manage to catch in my tank. I saw a baby grab a small worm and pull it out of the ground the other day. It was pretty cool to see. Sprinkle fish food and nano fish pellets in a few places around the tank.
Breeding Lepidothelphusa crabs
These crabs breed fairly easily however breeding can be quite rough and traumatic for the females. Some males are particularly aggressive… Males will flip females onto their backs to mate. This can often result in either of the crabs losing limbs and in some cases death. However, death is far more common with vampire crabs.
Once the female has been mated she will usually go into hiding. They prefer burrows for this so having soft soil is best or at least some good nooks to hide in. Places that other crabs can’t squeeze into to harass them. This is one of the times when Lepidothelphusa crabs will spend a fair amount of time on land before finally heading back to the water to have babies.
Cannibalism of their young?
Adult Lepidothelphusa crabs will eat their babies if they get hungry but aren’t as bad as Vampire Crabs, so if you keep your population very well fed you won’t have as many issues with cannibalism. However! You should separate the adults from the babies for the best survival rate. If you have a huge tank with a lot of space and a low population this won’t be that important as the extra space will reduce cannibalism.
Baby Lepidothelphusa crab growth rates?
Babies take a long, long time to mature, at least 6 months, and will hang around the water section for at least 2 months as they molt quite often.
From birth baby Lepidothelphusa crabs are pretty self-sufficient and live off stuff already in the tank. Primarily things like springtails, copepods, and other tiny living creatures. That said, you should still give small insects and other meaty food as well for the best survival rates.
Baby Lepidothelphusa crabs are social and hang around with each other in small groups near the water edge so if you’re trying to see if you have babies yet, that’s the first place to start searching.
They are also really good climbers early on.
Babies can be raised in smaller tanks starting at 2–5 gallons. However, you need to make sure that you meet all the same environmental requirements as the adult crabs. So basically a smaller version of your primary tank.
Coinhabitants with Lepidothelphusa crabs
Springtails and Isopods are a must-have in a crabarium as they are an essential part of the clean-up process. Any leftover food and crab waste will be processed by these little critters. For the water section shrimp snails and fast-moving fish work well. I would avoid betta fish as the water temps required for these crabs are generally colder than what Betta fish require to survive.
Only keep one species of crab together.
Molting (shedding their shell)
These crabs shed their skin from time to time and will do so in the water so make sure they have easy access to the water and a soft substrate to dig around in. Once they shed their skin they will usually hide for a week or so. Their colour will also change during this period. You can tell if it is just a skin in the water as the eye sockets will be empty. The molts also don’t stink.
Molting allows the crabs to regrow limbs and claws as well. If a crab loses a claw it will more than likely molt within a month to grow a new one.
Suggested Plants (LAND) for Lepidothelphusa crabs
Pilea Peperomioides
Hypoestes
Climbing Ivy
Asparagus ferns
Peace lily
Peperomia Verticilata
Tradescantia
Fittonia
Hedera
Nephrolepis Green Fantas
Adiantum Raddi Fritz
Helexnie Green (Crabs eat this fast)
Dwarf Banana plants
Asplenium Nid. Crispy Wave.
Any type of ferns go well.
All types of moss
Any plants you see used in traditional terrarium builds will work well, so long as they have a high humidity tolerance. Mosses are a non-negotiable part of any Lepidothelphusa ecosystem.
Suggested Plants (WATER) for Lepidothelphusa crabs
All aquarium plants work well for these crabs so pick and choose whatever you like. Just remember that flow and high quality water is very important for these crabs to thrive.
Buying Lepidothelphusa Crabs Online & Shipping.
This is where things get really complicated! Purchasing Lepidothelphusa crabs and Geosesarma SP (Vampire Crabs) is difficult. Most online sellers are usually sold out with no restocking times. Especially in the US. Which pushes people to international sellers.
The problem with international sellers is that the crabs are in transit for an even longer period of time which increases their chances of dying dramatically. Finally, international sellers usually don’t follow all the required custom and biosecurity rules properly so you may be liable for costs and penalties when they finally do arrive. Wild caught crabs may also be carrying diseases. So please do not use international sellers to buy these crabs online.
Even with domestic and semi-local shipping a lot of crabs die in the shipping process. So if you are purchasing them online there is a high chance you will receive dead crabs or crabs that die within the first 2 weeks. Before you make a purchase online, check if there are any local breeders or sellers in your area, or nearby. You’re better off going for a short road trip to pick up crabs.
Finally, avoid any sellers that are offering rainbow packs or rainbow mixes. They clearly do not have your best interests in mind.
