Artificial Feeding of Birgus latro (L., 1767) (Anomura: Coenobitidae) as an Alternative to Natural Diet: Perspective for Conservation Breeding

Sulistiono, Affandi R.; Wildan, D. M.; Jusadi, D. et al.

Artificial Feeding of Birgus latro (L., 1767) (Anomura: Coenobitidae) as an Alternative to Natural Diet: Perspective for Conservation Breeding

2022

Sulistiono, Affandi R. | Wildan, D. M. | Jusadi, D. et al.

The coconut crab Birgus latro (L., 1767), also known as the robber crab, is an endangered terrestrial anomuran facing extinction due to accelerating overexploitation and habitat destruction. It is therefore crucial to develop methods of its culture in captivity. Generally, an artificial diet is beneficial and important to formulate a specific content of decapod crustaceans feed. Thus, we decided to test different food treatments including pellets and coconut to feed adults of B. latro in captivity from December 2018 to May 2019. The survival rate of coconut crabs was high in all tested groups (80–100 %). The potential use of artificial feeding in stocked B. latro feeding was confirmed. Thus we recommend future experiments to ascertain which food formula will be the best one for the species’ culture in conservation programs.

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