1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Semi-aggressive and may catch slow fish and shrimp.
45 species in our list are a good match.
Semi-aggressive and may catch slow fish and shrimp.
Meaty foods, shrimp, fish and sinking pellets.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Females have a much wider, oval belly flap (pleon); males have a narrow, pointed one.
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Direct-developing egg bearer · Hard
Females carry the eggs, which develop directly into small crablets (no larval stage); adults eat young they can catch, so lots of small hiding places are needed.
One male and one female in a large tank with hides.
Large tank with caves and rocks; hard alkaline water.
Stable warm hard water.
Dozens of large eggs carried on the female.
Juveniles are tiny crabs; feed tiny meaty foods.
A freshwater crab found only in Lake Matano, Sulawesi: yellow to light orange with dark-red rosettes from the shell onto the legs, often with red-tipped claws. It seems to be fully aquatic in the wild and is listed as Endangered because nickel mining damages its lake habitat.
Swiss zoologist Ehrenfried Schenkel described this spotted crab in 1902 from Sulawesi. It lives only in the ancient Malili lakes and became popular in the hobby for its leopard-like pattern.
First described by Ehrenfried Schenkel in 1902.
13 facts checked with sources
Invertebrate: fully freshwater crab (primary freshwater crab). Described by Schenkel in 1902 as Potamon (Parathelphusa) pantherina; still valid.
WoRMS / DecaNet record: Parathelphusa pantherina (accessed 2026-10-16) · Chia & Ng 2006, The freshwater crabs of Sulawesi, with descriptions of two new genera and four new species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54: 381-428New value. Chia & Ng (2006) used the older family name Parathelphusidae, now merged into Gecarcinucidae.
WoRMS / DecaNet record: Parathelphusa pantherina (accessed 2026-10-16) · Wikipedia: Parathelphusa pantherinaCarapace width. Largest museum male examined by Chia & Ng is 5.15 cm wide; Matano field survey gives a mean carapace width of about 4 cm for the lake's endemic crabs; Aquarium Glaser imports are 4-6 cm. Fishkeeper's 10 cm (and legacy 10) most likely includes the legs, so carapace width ~5 cm is used, in line with the other crab files.
Chia & Ng 2006, The freshwater crabs of Sulawesi, with descriptions of two new genera and four new species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54: 381-428 · Limnotek (2017): Aspek biologi kepiting endemik di Danau Matano (abstract, Indonesian) · Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherina · Aquarium Glaser (2008): Parathelphusa pantherinaLegacy 24-28 is too cool. Fishkeeper 26-30, Glaser 25-29; Lake Matano itself is 27-31 °C (Wikipedia).
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherina · Aquarium Glaser (2008): Parathelphusa pantherina · Wikipedia: Parathelphusa pantherinaLegacy 7.5-8.5. Wikipedia gives a typical Lake Matano pH of 7.4, lower than hobby advice.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherinaSources say hard water and KH up to 15 but give no GH range.
Aquarium Glaser (2008): Parathelphusa pantherinaTerritorial and predatory toward slow fish and snails; matches legacy "s".
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherinaFully aquatic and hides under roots, logs and rocks, but no source states a zone; may like a haul-out spot (Fishkeeper).
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherinaNew value. Endangered on the IUCN Red List (see story).
Chia & Ng 2006, The freshwater crabs of Sulawesi, with descriptions of two new genera and four new species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54: 381-428 · Wikipedia: Parathelphusa pantherinaLegacy "larger claws" for males is not in the source.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherinaSpawning reports are rare (Fishkeeper). Legacy "few big eggs" is not sourced.
Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherinaLegacy "orange legs and a black-brown patterned shell" is off: spots are dark red on a yellow-orange base. Fully aquatic is supported.
Chia & Ng 2006, The freshwater crabs of Sulawesi, with descriptions of two new genera and four new species, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 54: 381-428 · Wikipedia: Parathelphusa pantherina · Fishkeeper (Maidenhead Aquatics): Panther crab, Parathelphusa pantherina