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Paguroidea is a group of crustaceans that includes hermit crabs and their relatives, which are known for their habit of living in empty shells for protection. These creatures are found in oceans worldwide and play important roles in marine ecosystems as scavengers and prey for larger animals.
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Species
coconut crabs
Superfamily
- PhylumArthropoda
- ClassMalacostraca
- OrderDecapoda
via
Wikidata facts
- Image
- DirkvdM hermit crab.jpg
Show 5 more facts
- taxon name
- Paguroidea
- Commons category
- Paguroidea
- taxon common name
- Hermit Crabs
- exact match
- wordnet-rdf.princeton.edu/wn31/101988959-n
- start time
- 136000000-
Sources (6)
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Article
Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged gastropod shells to protect their fragile abdomens. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an asymmetric abdomen concealed by a snug-fitting shell. Hermit crabs' soft (non-calcified) abdominal exoskeleton means they must occupy shelter produced by other organisms or risk being defenseless.
The strong association between hermit crabs and their shelters has significantly influenced their biology. Almost 800 species carry mobile shelters (most often calcified snail shells); this protective mobility contributes to the diversity and multitude of these crustaceans, which are found in almost all marine environments. In most species, development involves metamorphosis from symmetric, free-swimming larvae to morphologically asymmetric, benthic-dwelling, shell-seeking crabs. Such physiological and behavioral extremes facilitate a transition to a sheltered lifestyle, revealing the extensive evolutionary lengths that led to the superfamily's success.