Coenobita
clypeatus, the 'Carribean Land Hermit Crab'
Species
Name
|
 Coenobita
clypeatus
|
Common
Name
|
'Carribean
Land Hermit Crab' or "Purple Pincer (PP) land
hermit crab"
|
Description
|
Known
by many names, including 'tree crab', 'tree climbing
hermit', 'soldier crab', "carribean land hermit
crab", "purple pincer land hermit crab"
among a few.
They
are nocturnal, escaping the heat of the day and
conserving shell-water by hiding under leaves or
burying in damp sand. C. clypeatus is often found
around beach areas close to the ocean. They have
been found to travel inland for food sources and
land snail shells where needed. Often found climbing
trees and foraging for carrion, plant and animal
matter.
|
Colour
|
Many
variations of colours, including rich red, browns,
and vibrant purples.
|
Sexes
|
Male
and females of C. clypeatus species differ in the
position of gonopores (sexual openings. Gonopores
are found on the Males and females differ only in
the position of the gonopores
|
Habitat
|
"Terrestrial
hermit crabs of the family Coenobitidae when sufficiently
abundant can markedly alter their environment by
removing large quantities of organic matter. These
crustaceans scour the forest floors and beaches
of the tropics consuming carrion, rotting fruit,
feces, and plant material (Wolcott 1988). They quickly
remove rotting matter that might otherwise support
developing fly larvae and other decomposers (Page
& Willason 1983) and may also influence their
surrounding terrestrial plant communities through
selective grazing (Degener & Gillaspy 1955,
Niering 1956). Brodie, R.
|
Distribution
|
Found
in tropical and subtropical regions of the Caribbean.
Areas where land hermit crabs of this species are
found include the Bahamas, Belize, Venezuela, Virgin
Islands, West Indies and the Florida Keys.
|
Notes:
|
Diet:
"A
symbiont of the Mona iguana is the terrestrial hermit
crab (Coenobita clypeatus). The feces of the iguana
are picked apart and used as food."
|
References:
Allen, R.L.
1979. Coenobita clypeatus (Herbst, 1791) in the western
Gulf of Mexico (Decapoda, Anomura). Crustaceana 36 (1):109.
Brodie, Renae
J. (1998) Movements of the terrestrial hermit crab, Coenobita
clypeatus (Crustacea: Coenobitidae). Rev. Biol. Trop.,
46 Supl. (4):181-185. http://rbt.ots.ac.cr/revistas/suplemen/honduras/16brod1.htm
Wolfgang Sterrer.
HOW MANY SPECIES ARE THERE IN BERMUDA?BULLETIN OF MARINE
SCIENCE, 62(3): 809-840 (1998)
Burggren,
W.W. and McMahon, B(1998).
Biology of the Land Crabs. Cambridge Unviersity Press,
New York
VA Tech. Taxonomy(DRAFT)-
Species IGUANA, GROUND, MONA
Information System Fish and Wildlife Information Exchange,
VA Tech http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/WWW/esis/lists/e154008.htmEndangered
Species
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