Found inside live T. nuttallii (Pacific Gaper)
Interesting Purple and White tiny baby crab at San Buenaventura Beach. Still alive and threw back into the ocean.
Found at the World Famous Crab Shack. Origin of steamed oysters unknown, presumed local.
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Key Morphological Traits: small crab residing in bivalves; soft shelled; whitish to translucent coloration with orange patches
Fun Fact: Z. ostreus larvae are free-swimming in their early life stages to seek out their oyster hosts. Once reaching adulthood, male crabs continue to be free-swimming to find mates, while females remain in their oyster until maturity and lay their eggs inside.