A team of researchers have discovered two new species ofvampire crabs, which are increasing becoming a popular choice of pets.

The research found two new species known as Geosesarmadennerle and Geosesarmahagen, which have already been kept at homes as pets. The researchers said that the freshwater crabs came from their wild source. They found that the crabs live in rivers on the island of Java, Indonesia.

Christian Lukhaup, a professional aquarist in Waiblingen, Germany said that these species have been in pet trade globally for more than ten years but its origin was not known. Scientists have identified a number of vampire crab species but the two new species are found to be the most common pets. The species is named vampire crabs because of their yellow eyes and sometimes purple bodies.

The crabs may appeal because of their diminutive size as they measure only 3cm. G. dennerle is purple in colour with a cream patch on its back and G. hagen has a bright orange shell and claws. Christoph Schubart, co-author of the study from Resenburg University, Germany said that the dealer look for bright specimens in areasthat were nor covered by researchers.

The study published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.