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The example of king crabs (family Lithodidae) evolving from hermit crabs has been particularly well studied, and evidence in their biology supports this theory. For example, most hermit crabs are asymmetrical, and fit well into spiral snail shells; the abdomens of king crabs, even though they do not use snail shells for shelter, are also ...
Unlike other hermit crabs, pylochelid hermit crabs are not markedly asymmetrical, with a straight body and equal numbers of appendages on both sides. This characteristic, together with the partial calcification of the abdomen (which is soft in other hermit crabs) led Edward J. Miers, when describing the first species, to consider it to represent a transition between hermit crabs and "Macrura ...
Hermit crabs fighting over a shell A hermit crab retracted into a shell of Acanthina punctulata and using its claws to block the entrance. As hermit crabs grow, they require larger shells. Since suitable intact gastropod shells are sometimes a limited resource, competition often occurs between hermit crabs for shells. The availability of empty ...
Anomura (sometimes Anomala) is a group of decapod crustaceans, including hermit crabs and others. Although the names of many anomurans include the word crab, all true crabs are in the sister group to the Anomura, the Brachyura (the two groups together form the clade Meiura).
They reproduce through indirect sperm transfer between male and females. Courtship rituals involving touch and smell are common before mating. [8] Like other hermit crabs, they cannot make their own shells and instead they most often live in discarded snail shells. [9] Multiple Redleg calcinus have been observed sharing a single shell. [10]
The remaining group, called Pleocyemata, then diverged between the swimming shrimp groupings and the crawling/walking group called Reptantia, consisting of lobsters and crabs. High species diversification can be traced to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, which coincides with the rise and spread of modern coral reefs , a key habitat for the ...
The white-spotted hermit crabs are gonochorics, the eggs are carried on the female's abdomen. They also are opportunistic omnivore, mainly feeding on small invertebrates (worms, molluscs, etc.) and they are also reported to feed on holothurians. Commonly these crabs perform a precopulatory courtship ritual. Usually the sperm transfer is indirect.
The midden constitutes a source of empty shells available for use by hermit crabs, and P. puncticeps individuals have been observed carrying empty shells away from the pile. [4] The middens also attract hermit crabs which feed on food scraps left by the octopus, but feeding close to the octopus den is a risky business.