Basalt Shell Crab
Duracorium basalti
Field record
It selects flakes of broken basalt from the seabed and presses them one at a time against the ridges of its own shell, holding position until they set, so that older individuals wear a visibly thicker plate than young ones. I watched one work a single shard for nearly a minute before it seated to its satisfaction and the claw finally let go.
Habitat
Catching it
A Midnight-tier catch needs at least a Braided Net— anything under that rating can never hold it, whatever the throw. Bought at the Quartermaster’s counter for 300 crystals. A held net inks this entry for good and pays its ledger bonus on the spot.
Full capture mechanics — sighting vs. capture, the aim ring, why a net below a creature’s tier always bursts — in The Ledger.
Sharing this water
Other species catalogued in Midnight Zone: