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Species: Gonodactylus chiragra

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Click on any image to see an enlargement. All photos © 2005 Roy Caldwell.

Common name: None

Functional type: Smasher

Range: French Polynesia to western Indian Ocean

Habitat: Reef flat and rocky intertidal

Depth: Lower mid-intertidal to 2 m

Home: cavities in rubble, rock or bench

Diet: Gastropods and hermit crabs, but will take other crustaceans and mollusks

Size: 9–105 mm

Color: Variable; dark olive green to light cream, usually mottled; white meral spot; males darker; meral spot white

Distinguishing Characters: Largest Gonodactylus

Activity: Diurnal, closes at night

Aquarium Requirements:

Temperature: 22–29° C

Salinity: 33–36 PSU

Cohabitants: Will kill even large gastropods, crabs, clams

Aquarium size (adult): 20–40 l depending on size of stomatopod

Aquarium substrate: Sand and gravel with coral rubble or LR and cavity

Suitability for Aquarium: Good; hardy; not very interactive; largest animals can chip glass tank

Availability: Common in shipments from Indonesia, Philippines, Guam, Fiji

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External Anatomy and Explanatory Notes