Ecuadorian hermit crab

Last updated

Ecuadorian hermit crab
Ecuadorian hermit crab (Coenobita compressus).jpg
Boca Chica, Chiriquí, Panama
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Anomura
Family: Coenobitidae
Genus: Coenobita
Species:
C. compressus
Binomial name
Coenobita compressus

The Ecuadorian hermit crab (Coenobita compressus) also known as the Pacific hermit crab is a species of land hermit crab. It is one of the two land hermit crabs commonly sold in North America as pets, the other being the Caribbean hermit crab (C. clypeatus). [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Features and identification

Hermit crab at Cabo Blanca, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica Coenobita compressus (group).jpg
Hermit crab at Cabo Blanca, Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica

Coenobita compressus is a member of the phylum Arthropoda and the class Malacostraca. They can be up to 12 mm (0.47 in) in length and are thought to be one of the smallest species of land hermit crabs.[ citation needed ] They have four walking legs, a small pincer, a large pincer, and antennae. Their eyes are more oval-shaped when compared to the round eyes of Caribbean hermit crabs and are thicker. Their big claw has four or five small ridges on the upper part. The tips of the second pair of walking legs are darker than the rest of the leg. The abdomen of the Ecuadorian hermit crab is short and fat.

Ecuadorian hermit crabs vary greatly in colour, some are bright (yellow, dark grey, or orange), but more often they are a tan colour. Sometimes, they may have a blue or green tint to their bodies or the insides of their legs. They also have comma-shaped eyes, unlike the "purple pincher" (C. clypeatus), which has dot-shaped eyes.

When choosing a shell, they tend to give preference to shells with a wide and round aperture.

Habitats

Native to the Americas, these hermit crabs live on the Pacific seashore ranging from Mexico to Chile, [4] and tend to gather around tidal pools and high-tide zone. Their bodies have adapted to this seashore existence, and in captivity, they require access to seawater, as they must metabolize the salt in it and bathe in it to maintain gill moisture. Failure to provide access to seawater (real or artificial) will result in death.

Like most hermit crabs, they are scavengers and consume seaweed, dead fish, and other detritus that washes up on the shore.

Studies

Coenobita compressus prefers the odors of foods that they have not recently eaten. [5] Hermit crabs exposed to one food for at least 9 hours preferred foods having other odors for the next 6 hours. This short-term avoidance of food (like human beings who get bored with the same meals over and over again) compels the crabs to seek out a wider range of food. This might be advantageous to the crabs, possibly through the consumption of a more nutritionally balanced diet. Ecuadorian hermit crabs can make a chirping sound to communicate with each other.

As pets

Hermit crabs overall were once seen as a "throwaway pet" that would live only a few months, but species such as C. clypeatus have a 23-year lifespan if properly treated [6] and some have lived longer than 32 years. [7] [8] Similarly, Ecuadorian hermit crabs have been known to live to over 30 years. In general, and despite their moniker, hermit crabs are social animals that do best in groups. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crab</span> Crustacean

Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting tail-like abdomen, usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the world's oceans, in freshwater, and on land. They are generally covered with a thick exoskeleton. They generally have five pairs of legs, and they have pincer claws on the ends of the frontmost pair. They first appeared during the Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hermit crab</span> Superfamily of crustaceans (Paguroidea)

Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an asymmetric abdomen concealed by a snug-fitting shell. Hermit crabs' soft (non-calcified) abdominal exoskeleton means they must occupy shelter produced by other organisms or risk being defenseless.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean hermit crab</span> Species of crustacean

The Caribbean hermit crab, also known as the soldier crab, West Atlantic crab, tree crab, or purple pincher, is a species of land hermit crab native to the west Atlantic, Belize, southern Florida, Venezuela, and the West Indies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tide pool</span> Rocky pool on a seashore, separated from the sea at low tide, filled with seawater

A tide pool or rock pool is a shallow pool of seawater that forms on the rocky intertidal shore. These pools typically range from a few inches to a few feet deep and a few feet across. Many of these pools exist as separate bodies of water only at low tide, as seawater gets trapped when the tide recedes. Tides are caused by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. A tidal cycle is usually about 25 hours and consists of two high tides and two low tides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian land hermit crab</span> Species of crustacean

The Australian land hermit crab is a terrestrial hermit crab species, native to Australia. It is a nocturnal, omnivorous crustacean. They are gregarious and thrive in tropical areas near water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halloween hermit crab</span> Species of crustacean

The halloween hermit crab, also known as the striped hermit crab or orange-legged hermit crab, is a brightly colored aquatic hermit crab of the family Diogenidae. Besides its ability to routinely clean algae in aquaria, the halloween hermit crab's festive striped coloration also appeals to enthusiasts; it is considered the most brightly colored hermit crab in normal aquarium use.

A vacancy chain is a social structure through which resources are distributed to consumers. In a vacancy chain, a new resource unit that arrives into a population is taken by the first individual in line, who then leaves their old unit behind, this old unit is taken by a second individual, leaving their old unit behind, and so forth.

<i>Coenobita perlatus</i> Species of crustacean

Coenobita perlatus is a species of terrestrial hermit crab. It is known as the strawberry hermit crab because of its reddish-orange colours. It is a widespread scavenger across the Indo-Pacific, and wild-caught specimens are traded to hobby aquarists.

<i>Coenobita cavipes</i> Species of crustacean

Coenobita cavipes is a species of land hermit crab native to the eastern parts of Africa, the Indonesia, Philippines, China, Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Polynesia, and Micronesia. While these hermit crabs are terrestrial, they prefer to reside near the shores for access of both water and land.

<i>Coenobita rugosus</i> Species of crustacean

Coenobita rugosus is a species of land hermit crab native to Indonesia, Australia and the east African coast to the south west Pacific.

<i>Coenobita brevimanus</i> Species of crustacean

Coenobita brevimanus is a species of terrestrial hermit crab belonging to the family Coenobitidae, which is composed of coastal living terrestrial hermit crabs. From there it belongs to the genus Coenobita, one of two genera split from the family, which contains sixteen species. The Latin origins of the species name, brevimanus, come from the adjective brevis ("small") and the noun manus ("hands"). It is known as the Indos crab or Indonesian crab because it is primarily distributed throughout the Indo-Pacific.

<i>Pagurus novizealandiae</i> Species of crustacean

Pagurus novizealandiae, or the New Zealand hermit crab is a hermit crab of the family Paguridae, endemic to New Zealand. It is not the only hermit crab in New Zealand, as there are more than sixty species.

<i>Calcinus elegans</i> Species of crustacean

Calcinus elegans, also known as the blue line hermit crab, is a small, tropical hermit crab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut crab</span> Species of crustacean

The coconut crab is a terrestrial species of giant hermit crab, and is also known as the robber crab or palm thief. It is the largest terrestrial arthropod known, with a weight of up to 4.1 kg (9 lb). The distance from the tip of one leg to the tip of another can be as wide as 1 m. It is found on islands across the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as far east as the Gambier Islands, Pitcairn Islands and Caroline Island and as far west as Zanzibar. While its range broadly shadows the distribution of the coconut palm, the coconut crab has been extirpated from most areas with a significant human population such as mainland Australia and Madagascar.

<i>Cittarium pica</i> Species of gastropod

Cittarium pica, common name the West Indian top shell or magpie shell, is a species of large edible sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Tegulidae. This species has a large black and white shell.

<i>Coenobita scaevola</i> Species of crustacean

Coenobita scaevola is a species of terrestrial hermit crab from the western Indian Ocean and Red Sea.

Hungry Bay Nature Reserve is a nature reserve on the east coast of Bermuda. It was established in 1986. It is considered the best example of coastal mangrove swamp on the island. It includes the Hungry Bay area and the largest mangrove coastal swamp in Bermuda. It is protected by a Tree preservation order (T.P.O.) and designated as an official Nature Reserve within the Parks system of Bermuda.

Calcinus verrillii, commonly known as Verrill's hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab in the genus Calcinus which is endemic to Bermuda. It was first described by the American zoologist Mary J. Rathbun and named in honour of the American zoologist Addison Emery Verrill, who spent much time with his students studying the geology and marine fauna of Bermuda.

<i>Dardanus deformis</i> Species of crustacean

Dardanus deformis is a species of nocturnal hermit crab that is found in the Indo-Pacific. Its common name is pale anemone hermit. The species is known to transfer sea anemones from one shell to another when it moves to a different shell. It can be kept in an aquarium.

Coenobita pseudorugosus is a species of terrestrial hermit crab, family Coenobitidae.

References

  1. Audrey Pavia: Hermit Crab PG.18 Retrieved July, 2009
  2. Barren's: Hermit Crabs PG.9
  3. Harper, Joanne (4 August 2022). "Why Do Hermit Crabs Burrow Themselves in The Sand?". Hermit Crab Answers. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  4. Hopkin, Karen. "Intimate Hermit Crab Keeps Shell On". Scientific American. Retrieved 2022-06-05.
  5. Robert W. Thacker (1998). "Avoidance of recently eaten foods by land hermit crabs, Coenobita compressus". Animal Behaviour . 55 (2): 485–496. doi:10.1006/anbe.1997.0621. PMID   9480714. S2CID   23901241.
  6. Pet Smart Veterinarians (2006), Land Hermit Crab Care Guide, Pet Smart, archived from the original on 2011-06-11
  7. Lombardi, Linda (2008), "Hermit crabs can be fun, long-lasting pets", The Olympian , The Associated Press, retrieved 1 October 2008[ permanent dead link ]
    Alternate Citation: Lombardi, Linda (July 22, 2008), "Hermit crabs don't have to fade away; with proper care they can have long life", Amherst Daily News , The Associated Press, retrieved 1 July 2009[ permanent dead link ]
  8. Stacy (2008), How old is my hermit crab?, crabstreetjournal.com, archived from the original on 11 December 2008, retrieved 1 August 2008
  9. Christa Wilkin (2004). "Basic crab care" . Retrieved 1 August 2008.