New publication: Association of a juvenile emperor red snapper (Lutjanus sebae) with a crucifix crab (Charybdis feriata) as a potential antipredator strategy on a sand flat

Credit: Marine Futures Lab

A new publication by our PhD candidate Paolo Cortelezzi has been published in Marine Biodiversity.

The study reports a juvenile red emperor of only 6cm swimming alongside a coral crab on a sand flat, while potential predators are swimming in the area.

Our hypothesis is that the juvenile fish might be harnessing the crab’s defence mechanism to protect itself from predators, since the area is scarce in complex structures where the fish can hide.

Juvenile red emperors have been observed swimming between the spines of sea urchins and close to the venomous lionfish, but an interaction with crabs has never been reported in literature. This shows how much there is to still learn from the marine realm, and how understudied environments like sand flats can host interactions and behaviours never documented before.

Congratulations to Paolo and co-authors Dr Sean van Elden and Prof. Jessica Meeuwig!

To read the full publication, you can click here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-026-01719-0