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Caribbean hermit crab

Species of crustacean

Caribbean hermit crab
Summary

Species of crustacean

A Caribbean hermit crab in the [[Dry Tortugas National Park]], Florida

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

Description

Adults burrow and hide under the roots of large trees, and can be found a considerable distance inland. Typically, the Caribbean hermit crab's left claw is larger in size than its right claw and is purple in color. Female land hermit crabs release fertilized eggs into the ocean. The spawning (called "washing" in the English-speaking Caribbean) occurs on certain nights, usually around August.

Ecology

Caribbean hermit crabs are both herbivorous and scavengers. In the wild, C. clypeatus feeds on animal and plant remains, overripe fruit, and faeces of other animals,

Pet Trade

This species is one of the two land hermit crabs commonly sold in the United States as pets, the other being the Ecuadorian hermit crab. C. clypeatus has been confirmed to live as long as 12 years, and some crab owners have claimed to have crabs live up to 40 years.

References

References

  1. Patsy A. McLaughlin. (2010). "Annotated checklist of anomuran decapod crustaceans of the world (exclusive of the Kiwaoidea and families Chirostylidae and Galatheidae of the Galatheoidea)". [[Zootaxa]].
  2. "Common Coastal Flora and Fauna of Vieques". [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]].
  3. Audrey Pavia. (2006). "Hermit Crab". [[John Wiley and Sons]].
  4. (January 2005). "The morphology and vasculature of the respiratory organs of terrestrial hermit crabs (Coenobita and Birgus): gills, branchiostegal lungs and abdominal lungs". Arthropod Structure & Development.
  5. Ángel M. Nieves-Rivera. (2003). "Annual migrations and spawning of ''Coenobita clypeatus'' (Herbst) on Mona Island (Puerto Rico) and notes on inland crustaceans". [[Crustaceana]].
  6. (6 February 2007). "A review of feeding and nutrition of herbivorous land crabs: adaptations to low quality plant diets". Journal of Comparative Physiology B.
  7. Sue Fox. (2000). "Hermit Crabs: a Complete Pet Owner's Manual". [[Barron's Educational Series]].
  8. (1972). "Longevity of the West Indian Terrestrial Hermit Crab, ''Coenobita clypeatus'' (Herbst, 1791) (Decapoda, Anomura)". Crustaceana.
  9. (2016-10-04). "The 40-Year-Old Hermit Crab".
Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

hermit-crabs fauna-of-the-caribbean arthropods-of-the-dominican-republic terrestrial-crustaceans crustaceans-described-in-1787 necrophages
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