Spider decorator crab
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An illustration based on the real animal.
A little discovery to share.
The hairs covering a spider decorator crab are shaped like hooks.
THE REAL WORLD
The real Spider decorator crab
- Scientific name
- Camposcia retusa
- Japanese name
- モクズショイ
- Group
- Ocean animals
- Class
- Malacostraca
- Order
- Decapoda
- Family
- Inachidae
- Genus
- Camposcia
It lives from the western Pacific south of Sagami Bay to the South Pacific and the Indian Ocean.
It has a habit of sticking sponges, seaweed and other things onto the hairs that cover its body.
Its name comes from the way it looks as if it is carrying bits of seaweed (mokuzu) on its back.
How the Spider decorator crab lives
During the day, it hides in dark places such as gaps between rocks. It becomes active at night. When it molts, the things attached to its body come off with its shell.
東京都公園協会（八丈ビジターセンター）Basic data
- Range
- Western Pacific south of Sagami Bay, South Pacific, and Indian Ocean
Where the Spider decorator crab has been recorded
Records: GBIF.org (CC0 and CC BY 4.0 records, retrieved 2026-11-07). Map: Natural EarthSee the records on GBIF
Watch wild animals from a distance. Do not touch or feed them, and take care of the places where they live.
Names around the world
- 日本語
- モクズショイ
- 简体中文
- 钝额曲毛蟹
- 繁體中文
- 鈍額曲毛蟹
- Français
- Crabe décorateur
- Italiano
- Granchio decoratore
Names come from Wikidata and iNaturalist records. Where a language has no recorded name, we use the scientific name.
Sources and how we check
- 鳥羽水族館 — モクズショイChecked: 2026-11-04
- 東京都公園協会（八丈ビジターセンター） — モクズショイChecked: 2026-11-07
- 沖縄美ら海水族館 — モクズショイChecked: 2026-11-07
We check each fact against its source. The illustrations simplify how the real animal looks.
The classification (class, order, family, genus) follows Wikidata records, checked against GBIF. Classifications can change as research goes on.
The basic data are the values given in each source. They vary with how the animal is measured, whether it is male or female, and whether it lives in the wild or in captivity.
This page was translated from the original Japanese with the help of AI.
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