Sand-dollar-associate
Guides
Dissodactylus mellitae
Sand Dollar Pea Crab, sand-dollar pea crab
Dissodactylus mellitae is a small pea crab in the family Pinnotheridae that lives as an obligate symbiont on sand dollars. It inhabits the western Atlantic Ocean and has been documented specifically on the host Mellita quinquiesperforata. The species exhibits a close association with its echinoderm host, living on the aboral surface.