Orange Arm Crab

Common Name: Orange Arm Crab / Orange Arm Borneo Crab
Scientific Name: Lepidothelphusa sp. 

Adult Size: Up to 6cm

Enclosure: Secure-lidded paludarium with a large land section and a shallow freshwater area; minimum 60 × 45 × 45 cm
Heating: No basking; ambient 22-24 °C

Humidity: 75–90% with good airflow; keep substrate damp, not stagnant

Diet: Crustacean pellets, leaf litter, veg, plus meaty foods (e.g., frozen/invert proteins) in rotation

Water: Dechlorinated freshwater, shallow with easy exits (often kept very shallow); keep clean and well-oxygenated

ABOUT THIS SPECIES

The Orange Arm Borneo crab is a small, semi-terrestrial Lepidothelphusa sold for its dark body and bright orange claws. It’s an edge-of-water species by nature, spending much of its time on land cover under roots, cork, rocks and leaf litter then dipping into freshwater to drink and during moults.

In a well-structured paludarium you’ll typically see it most at dusk and overnight, foraging along the shoreline and climbing over hardscape rather than sitting out in the open. These crabs reward a “rainforest bank” layout: lots of shaded cover, damp substrate for digging, and a shallow water zone that stays consistently clean.

Their colours show best against natural leaf litter and darker backgrounds, and they tend to look far more confident when there are multiple tight hides and broken sight-lines.