Allogalathea
Encyclopedia
Allogalathea elegans is a species of squat lobster
that is sometimes kept in marine aquariums. It is the only species in the genus
Allogalathea.
region, where it lives among the tentacles of crinoid
s. The colour of the animals varies to match the species of crinoid with which it is commensal
.
of 8.1–8.3 and a salinity
of 1.020–1.024. Small crevices in rocks act as hiding places for this shy crustacean. A. elegans prefers thawed food but will also eat small freeze dried items.
Squat lobster
Squat lobsters are decapod crustaceans of the families Galatheidae, Chirostylidae and Kiwaidae, including the common genera Galathea and Munida. They are not lobsters at all, but are more closely related to porcelain crabs, hermit crabs and then, more distantly, true crabs...
that is sometimes kept in marine aquariums. It is the only species in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Allogalathea.
Description
The body of A. elegans is 1.5–2 in (3.8–5.1 ) long, egg-shaped and striped. It is widely distributed throughout the Indo-PacificIndo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region of the Earth's seas, comprising the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the seas connecting the two in the general area of Indonesia...
region, where it lives among the tentacles of crinoid
Crinoid
Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea of the echinoderms . Crinoidea comes from the Greek word krinon, "a lily", and eidos, "form". They live both in shallow water and in depths as great as 6,000 meters. Sea lilies refer to the crinoids which, in their adult form, are...
s. The colour of the animals varies to match the species of crinoid with which it is commensal
Commensalism
In ecology, commensalism is a class of relationship between two organisms where one organism benefits but the other is neutral...
.
In aquaria
In an aquarium, A. elegans requires a water temperature of 77–79 °F (25–26.1 C), a pHPH
In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
of 8.1–8.3 and a salinity
Salinity
Salinity is the saltiness or dissolved salt content of a body of water. It is a general term used to describe the levels of different salts such as sodium chloride, magnesium and calcium sulfates, and bicarbonates...
of 1.020–1.024. Small crevices in rocks act as hiding places for this shy crustacean. A. elegans prefers thawed food but will also eat small freeze dried items.