Petrolisthes cabrilloiis commonly referred to as Cabrillo porcelain crab. Difficulty in the aquarium: There are no reports available yet that this animal has already been kept in captivity successfully. Toxicity: Toxic hazard unknown.
Petrolisthes cabrilloi are often distributed under rocks and in shellfish beds in the mid-intertidal zone, from Morro Bay in the north to Bahia Magdalena, Baja California Sur in the south.
In southern California, both male and female adult Petrolisthes cabrilloi are commonly infected with the rhizocephalic barnacle parasite Lernaeodiscus porcellanae
Infected crabs - both male and female - carry the externa (brood sac) of the parasite under the abdomen.
When the barnacle larvae are ready to hatch from the externa, the crabs often exhibit the same behavior they would if a crab brood were under the abdomen - standing on tiptoe and flapping the abdomen. At this point, the barnacle releases its nauplii into the current created by the host's abdominal flaps.