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Description
Petelia (Petelia oceania)
Order: Decapods (Decapoda)
Family: Portunidae
Habitat: Indian Ocean Islands

Both before Neocene and during its epoch, the islands of the Indian Ocean were a paradise for birds (as well as for bats) among vertebrates, and for crustaceans among invertebrates. Other invertebrates were either not enough winged to reach these islands above the water, or not enough “amphibious” to colonize these land areas among the sea. And the crustaceans could ... and did. Neocene is the period when every island, group of islands, or archipelago has its own terrestrial species, often from different families and even groups, including decapods.

The decapod crustaceans - some of the most successful crustacean colonizers of the islands - they are found on the Atlantic Islands, on the Pacific, and even on the Indies - it is the so-called petelia.

The petelia is not a very big creature, from 2 to 6 cm in length. It is covered with a shell of an inconspicuous, mud color – the petelia spends most of its time on the ground or buried under the ground, where it hides from enemies, and waits for its own prey: it is a kind of analog of various tunnelling spider species. It does not dig tunnels, but it waits for the prey to pass by its’ ambush; it hunts animals that are even smaller than it is, as well as their larvae, (and itself serves as prey to various animals, especially birds).

The petelia breeds more in the water, or rather - under water. This species does not have particularly complicated behavior, but it regularly migrates under water from the islands where it lives; there the females lay eggs, and the males fertilize them. Within 7-10 days the larvae hatch from the eggs, they grow quickly and after about a week and a half or two weeks they turn into miniature copies of adult crabs and leave the sea for land.

The petelia can live up to 4-5 years, but most of them die much earlier.

Description
Petelia (Petelia oceania)
Order: Decapods (Decapoda)
Family: Portunidae
Habitat: Indian Ocean Islands

Both before Neocene and during its epoch, the islands of the Indian Ocean were a paradise for birds (as well as for bats) among vertebrates, and for crustaceans among invertebrates. Other invertebrates were either not enough winged to reach these islands above the water, or not enough “amphibious” to colonize these land areas among the sea. And the crustaceans could ... and did. Neocene is the period when every island, group of islands, or archipelago has its own terrestrial species, often from different families and even groups, including decapods.

The decapod crustaceans - some of the most successful crustacean colonizers of the islands - they are found on the Atlantic Islands, on the Pacific, and even on the Indies - it is the so-called petelia.

The petelia is not a very big creature, from 2 to 6 cm in length. It is covered with a shell of an inconspicuous, mud color – the petelia spends most of its time on the ground or buried under the ground, where it hides from enemies, and waits for its own prey: it is a kind of analog of various tunnelling spider species. It does not dig tunnels, but it waits for the prey to pass by its’ ambush; it hunts animals that are even smaller than it is, as well as their larvae, (and itself serves as prey to various animals, especially birds).

The petelia breeds more in the water, or rather - under water. This species does not have particularly complicated behavior, but it regularly migrates under water from the islands where it lives; there the females lay eggs, and the males fertilize them. Within 7-10 days the larvae hatch from the eggs, they grow quickly and after about a week and a half or two weeks they turn into miniature copies of adult crabs and leave the sea for land.

The petelia can live up to 4-5 years, but most of them die much earlier.