By species www.diverosa.com Rokus Groeneveld & Sanne Reijs
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Hermit crabs
Hermit crabs are, other than one might think, not closely related to true crabs, although they’re both crustaceans. Hermit crabs have soft abdomens that they protect by carrying it in an empty shell. In case of emergency, the whole body will retract in it. There are over 800 species of marine hermit crabs.
As a hermit crab becomes bigger, it outgrows its shell and changes to another. A special member of the hermit crabs is the Anemone carrier. It places anemones on it’s shell for camouflage and extra protection. When the Anemone carrier changes to a bigger shell, it takes it’s anemones from the old shell and places it on the new shell.
Some hermit crabs use ‘synchronous vacancy chains’. Hermit crabs of various sizes line up after the one finding a suitable, bigger, shell. When the biggest crab changes shell, the others will follow in seconds. The actual lining up however may take hours. Another thing that occurs is that a hermit crab, finding a shell that’s to large, stays with it in the hope an intermediate size will come by. Vacancy chains are also seen with terrestrial hermit crabs.
Aniculus maximus
Yellow hairy hermit crab
Halmahera, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Tidore, west side
Calcinus gaimardii
?
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: Amed, Drop off
Calcinus minutus
?
Lembeh, Indonesia 2008
Dive site: Magic rock
Calcinus minutus
?
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: Amed, Pyramids
Ciliopagurus strigatus
Halloween hermit crab
Lembeh, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Hairball II
Ciliopagurus strigatus
Halloween hermit crab
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: house reef Kubu Indah (night dive)
Dardanus guttatus
?
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
Dardanus guttatus
?
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
Dardanus guttatus
?
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: house reef Kubu Indah (night dive)
Dardanus guttatus
?
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: house reef Kubu Indah (night dive)
Dardanus lagopodes
?
Cabilao, the Philippines 2005
Dive site: Southpoint
Dardanus lagopodes
?
Cabilao, the Philippines 2005
Dive site: Looc
Dardanus lagopodes
?
Cebu, the Philippines 2007
house reef Magic Island Dive R. (night dive)
Dardanus lagopodes
?
Lembeh, Indonesia 2008
Dive site: Jarijari (night dive)
Dardanus lagopodes
?
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
Dardanus lagopodes
homeless hermit crab
Lembeh, Indonesia 2010
house reef Divers Lodge Lembeh (night dive)
Dardanus lagopodes
?
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: house reef Kubu Indah (night dive)
Dardanus lagopodes
?
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: house reef Kubu Indah (night dive)
Dardanus megistos
White spotted hermit crab
Kapalai, Malaysia 2003
Dive site: house reef (Mandarin valley)
Dardanus megistos
White spotted hermit crab
Lembeh, Indonesia 2002
Dive site: Nudi retreat
Dardanus megistos
White spotted hermit crab
Cebu, the Philippines 2007
house reef Magic Island Dive R. (night dive)
Dardanus megistos
White spotted hermit crab
Cebu, the Philippines 2007
house reef Magic Island Dive R. (night dive)
Dardanus megistos
White spotted h.c. eating a bird
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Rhino
Dardanus megistos
running White spotted hermit crab
Lembeh, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Serena basar (night dive)
Dardanus megistos
running White spotted hermit crab
Lembeh, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Jahir (night dive)
Dardanus megistos
White spotted (or scarlet) hermit crab
Lembeh, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Police pier
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Cabilao, the Philippines 2005
Dive site: Lighthouse
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Cabilao, Philippines 2005
Dive site: Lighthouse
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Cabilao, the Philippines 2005
Dive site: Lighthouse
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Cebu, Philippines 2007
house reef Magic Island Dive R. (night dive)
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Lembeh, Indonesia 2008
Dive site: Jahir
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
Dardanus pedunculatus
juvenile Anemone carrier
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
Dardanus pedunculatus
juvenile Anemone carrier
Halmahera, Indonesia 2010
house reef Weda resort (night dive)
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Halmahera, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: New Jetty (night dive)
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Lembeh, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Hairball
Dardanus pedunculatus
Anemone carrier
Lembeh, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Batu lubang (night dive)
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2005
Dive site: Zeelandbrug
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Stavenisse
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Stavenisse
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Stavenisse
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Stavenisse
Pagurus bernhardus
homeless Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Stavenisse
Pagurus bernhardus
homeless Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Stavenisse
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Sint Annaland
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2009
Dive site: Zeelandbrug
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Zeelandbrug
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands
Dive site: Zeelandbrug
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2007
Dive site: Zeelandbrug
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Grevelingen, Netherlands 2009
Dive site: Dolfijntje
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2009
Dive site: Stavenisse
Pagurus bernhardus
Common hermit crab
Oosterschelde, Netherlands 2010
Dive site: Burghsluis
Pagurixus maorus
?
Halmahera, Indonesia 2010
house reef Weda resort (night dive)
Pagurixus maorus
?
Bali, Indonesia 2011
Dive site: house reef Kubu Indah (night dive)
Pylopaguropsis fimbriata
hermit crab
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
Pylopaguropsis fimbriata
hermit crab
Ambon, Indonesia 2010
house reef Maluku divers (night dive)
?
unidentified hermit crab
Cebu, the Philippines 2007
house reef Magic Island Dive R. (night dive)
?
unidentified hermit crab
Bali, Indonesia 2009
Dive site: Tulamben, Coral garden
Coral hermit crabs
Paguritta harmsi
coral hermit crab
Halmahera, Indonesia 2010
Dive site: Shark reef
Paguritta sp.
unidentified coral hermit crab
Gili Islands, Lombok, Indonesia 2009
Dive site: Gili Meno, Bounty