Geographic Range
Common hermit crabs are found in the near-shore North Atlantic waters of northwestern
Europe, from the White Sea to the British Isles, including the North, Baltic, and
Barents Seas. They are found as far south as Portugal, including in the Mediterranean
Sea, as well as along the coasts of the Azorean Islands.
- Biogeographic Regions
- palearctic
- oceanic islands
- atlantic ocean
- mediterranean sea
Habitat
These crabs live along coasts in most types of seabeds, including rocky and shell
bottoms, in sea grass beds, and sandy or silty sediments, but excluding muddy bottoms.
Larvae live mainly in pools and may be found under objects such as rocks and seaweed.
Common hermit crabs are most often found at depths up to 80 m, although they may be
found as deep as 200 m. Smaller individuals live in shallower waters than larger individuals.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- saltwater or marine
- Aquatic Biomes
- temporary pools
- coastal
Physical Description
Common hermit crabs are relatively large (maximum body length 8 cm), with bodies that
are divided into two segments: cephalothorax and abdomen. The cephalothorax is encased
by a carapace consisting of three thick cuticle layers: epicuticle, exocuticle, and
endocuticle (maximum carapace length is 4.5 cm). The abdomen is soft and coiled to
the right and body color is typically reddish or brown. These crabs inhabit the abandoned
shells of animals, such as edible periwinkles (
Littorina littorea
), flat periwinkles (
Littorina obtusata
), dog whelks (
Nucella lapillus
) and other whelks (
Buccinum
sp.), using them as protection for their soft bodies. Their last two pairs of walking
legs are greatly reduced, and are used to hold the shell in place. Compared to most
hermit crabs, Common hermit crabs prefer a lighter shell. The size of the shell is
important because it affects the fitness of the hermit crab-a shell that is too large
does not offer the best protection and a shell that is too small restricts its growth.
Individuals may attack each other in attempts to claim ownership of a shell. These
crabs have 5 pairs of walking legs; the first pair are enlarged claws (known as chelae);
those of males are larger than those of females. Chelae are used for gathering food
and for protection. Of the two claws, one is larger and is covered by an operculum;
this claw is used in fighting and defense. Chelae and walking leg surfaces are rough.
Common hermit crabs have compound eyes and four short antennae.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- heterothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- male larger
- sexes shaped differently
Development
Eggs of this species are black in color. Females carry eggs until they hatch (2 months,
on average). Common hermit crabs pass through four zoeal stages and a glaucothoe/megalopa
stage before reaching adulthood. Zoeal stages take 39-47 days to complete, with the
megalopa stage requiring an additional 13 days on average; total development time
averages 60 days. Zoeal larvae are thin, long, and yellowish-red in color. More chromatophores
are added in each stage of zoeal development: megalops have areas of red and pale-yellow
coloration and adults are reddish-brown. Megalops do not eat and must seek out a suitable
shell in which to complete metamorphosis. Shell type and size effectively determine
survival odds, as well as body size, time to sexual maturity, and longevity. Sexual
differentiation occurs during the zoeal stages; female development is complete upon
reaching adulthood, while males continue to develop morphological characteristics
after adulthood. Sexual maturity is typically reached within a year.
- Development - Life Cycle
- metamorphosis
- indeterminate growth
Reproduction
Unlike some species of crabs, copulation does not necessarily follow a female's molting.
Before copulation, a male carries or pulls a female around by her shell opening for
hours, even days in some cases, using his minor cheliped. Just prior to copulation,
he holds her by one of her right walking legs, pulling her toward him and tapping
her appendages with his major cheliped. This is followed by a period where both male
and female tap each other with their chelipeds (the female also palpates the male's
mouthparts) for 15-20 minutes. When a female is ready to mate, she gives either a
tactile or chemical signal, causing a male to turn her around to face him. Both individuals
leave their shells and copulate for 4-6 minutes. They remain together, outside of
their shells, for up to 10 minutes after copulation.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Unlike other
Pagurus
hermit crabs, Common hermit crabs are able to mate outside of the period after a
female molts; there have been records of breeding occurring during all phases of a
female molt cycle. There are many environmental factors that affect whether or not
breeding occurs, such as photoperiod, water temperature (itself and in relation to
air temperature), salinity, and availability of resources. Common hermit crabs may
mate continuously throughout the year, although populations living in shallower water
tend to have reproductive peaks in January and Feburary. After one encounter, a female
produces 200-300 eggs, up to 30% of which may by lost or destroyed.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- year-round breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
After fertilization, a female carries eggs until they hatch (43 days, on average).
During this time, they exhibit greater care in shell choice, switching shells more
often than when they are not brooding.
- Parental Investment
- female parental care
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
protecting
- female
-
protecting
Lifespan/Longevity
Common hermit crabs are known to live for up to four years in the wild. Shell selection,
as well as molting, affects longevity. Molting, in particular, has short-term benefits
and long-term costs; short term benefits include limb regeneration, while long-term
costs include potential negative shifts in dominance hierarchy, reproductive success,
feeding, communication, and locomotion.
Behavior
Common hermit crabs are nocturnal. They aggregate into loose communities, living around
each other but not necessarily interacting. In these populations, breeding occurs
at almost any time during the year and there is usually intense competition over resources,
often resulting in physical damage to individuals. Each community has a dominant male;
this individual wins the most fights and may assert its dominance by taking resources
from others.
Before any physical encounter, Common hermit crabs engage in visual displays. During
aggressive encounters, they either raise their bodies high off the ground, displaying
their chelipeds and walking legs, or lower their bodies in submission. If neither
individual submits, the crabs may try to dislodge each other from their shells, an
interaction known as shell fighting. One hermit crab will crawl onto its opponent's
shell, hitting its opponents entire body, including its shell, and using its chelipeds
to rap its opponent's shell (over 500 raps have been observed in a single encounter).
Around half of such encounters result in the aggressor exchanging shells with its
opponent. Larger crabs, and those with larger chelipeds, are usually more successful
than small- and medium-sized crabs in these encounters.
Another behavior that has been extensively studied is shell selection. Common hermit
crabs are more likely to exchange and fight over shells when a new shell confers an
advantage, such as more space. They are also able to remember shells that they have
rejected before. If a crab is naked or in a shell that does not offer enough protection
or space, then it will make the decision to move into a shell very quickly, regardless
of advantages it may confer. If a new shell is of a much higher quality than the currently
inhabited shell, the decision to move will also be made very quickly.
- Key Behaviors
- nocturnal
- motile
- sedentary
- solitary
- territorial
- social
- dominance hierarchies
Home Range
Studies have shown that individuals may move within a range of 16-312 meters per month.
Communication and Perception
Males and females communicate with each other through tactile and chemical signaling,
and visual cues are used during aggressive encounters.
Food Habits
Common hermit crabs are scavengers. Their diet includes a wide variety of food sources,
including microscopic bivalves, scraps of dead animals, and plants; they are known
to be cannibalistic when resources are low. This diet is good for survival in environments
that are unpredictable and can seasonally change.
- Primary Diet
-
carnivore
- eats non-insect arthropods
- molluscivore
-
herbivore
- algivore
- omnivore
- planktivore
- detritivore
- Animal Foods
- mollusks
- aquatic or marine worms
- aquatic crustaceans
- other marine invertebrates
- Plant Foods
- algae
- macroalgae
- Other Foods
- microbes
Predation
Predators of common hermit crabs include fishes, starfish, octopi, other crabs, and
some birds. Seagulls are known to pick up common hermit crabs in their beaks and drop
them on rocks to break their shells. These hermit crabs may also exhibit cannibalism.
Ecosystem Roles
Common hermit crabs are valuable members of their ecosystems as scavengers and detritovores.
As detritovores, these hermit crabs help decompose dead materials and contribute to
nutrient cycles. Common hermit crabs may host a variety of epibionts on their shells,
including protozoans, hydrozoans, entroprocts, barnacles, and polychaete worms. These
hermit crabs prefer shells with epibonts over clean shells; some epibionts, such as
anenomes, can protect the hermit crab from predators. They may also host parasites
(most often isopods or barnacles), which bore into their shells, residing most often
in the abdomen or brachial cavities, sometimes even causing castration in males. Infestation
levels are as low as 1.5%. Eggs of this species have antibiotic properties.
- Ecosystem Impact
- biodegradation
- Cryptacineta sp. (Supergroup Chromalveolata , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Clytia sp. (Class Hydrozoa , Phylum Cnidaria )
- Leuckartiara sp. (Class Hydrozoa , Phylum Cnidaria )
- Phialella sp. (Class Hydrozoa , Phylum Cnidaria )
- Athelges pagrui (Class Malacostraca , Phylum Arthropoda )
- Barentsia sp. (Class Malacostraca , Phylum Arthropoda )
- Pseudione hyndmanni (Class Malacostraca , Phylum Arthropoda )
- Balanus balanus (Class Maxillopoda , Phylum Arthropoda )
- Balanus crenatus (Class Maxillopoda , Phylum Arthropoda )
- Peltogaster paguri (Class Maxillopoda , Phylum Arthropoda )
- Cothurnia longipes (Class Oligohymenophorea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Cothurnia mobiusi (Class Oligohymenophorea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Zoothamnium sp. (Class Oligohymenophorea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Acineta sp. (Class Phyllopharyngea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Chilodochona sp. (Class Phyllopharyngea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Conchacineta sp. (Class Phyllopharyngea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Corynophrya sp. (Class Phyllopharyngea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Ephelota gemmipara (Class Phyllopharyngea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Ephelota plana (Class Phyllopharyngea , Phylum Ciliophora )
- Circeis armoricana paguria (Class Polychaeta , Phylum Annelida )
- Hydroides norvegicus (Class Polychaeta , Phylum Annelida )
- Nereis fucata (Class Polychaeta , Phylum Annelida )
- Spirobranchus triqueter (Class Polychaeta , Phylum Annelida )
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Common hermit crabs play an important role in their environments as decomposers. They
are also kept by some people in aquaria and may be used as fishing bait, once removed
from their shells.
- Positive Impacts
- pet trade
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse effects of common hermit crabs on humans.
Conservation Status
This species has not yet been assessed for conservation by the IUCN or any other agency.
There are no current conservation efforts specific to this species.
Additional Links
Contributors
Kathleen Wang (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Jeremy Wright (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
- Palearctic
-
living in the northern part of the Old World. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- oceanic islands
-
islands that are not part of continental shelf areas, they are not, and have never been, connected to a continental land mass, most typically these are volcanic islands.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- Atlantic Ocean
-
the body of water between Africa, Europe, the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), and the western hemisphere. It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- saltwater or marine
-
mainly lives in oceans, seas, or other bodies of salt water.
- coastal
-
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- heterothermic
-
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- metamorphosis
-
A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis.
- indeterminate growth
-
Animals with indeterminate growth continue to grow throughout their lives.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- year-round breeding
-
breeding takes place throughout the year
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- internal fertilization
-
fertilization takes place within the female's body
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- solitary
-
lives alone
- territorial
-
defends an area within the home range, occupied by a single animals or group of animals of the same species and held through overt defense, display, or advertisement
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- dominance hierarchies
-
ranking system or pecking order among members of a long-term social group, where dominance status affects access to resources or mates
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- macroalgae
-
seaweed. Algae that are large and photosynthetic.
- biodegradation
-
helps break down and decompose dead plants and/or animals
- pet trade
-
the business of buying and selling animals for people to keep in their homes as pets.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- molluscivore
-
eats mollusks, members of Phylum Mollusca
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- omnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats all kinds of things, including plants and animals
- planktivore
-
an animal that mainly eats plankton
- detritivore
-
an animal that mainly eats decomposed plants and/or animals
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