Terrestrial-adaptation

Guides

• Coenobita

  land hermit crabs, terrestrial hermit crabs

  Coenobita is a genus of terrestrial hermit crabs comprising 21 species distributed primarily in tropical and subtropical coastal regions. Unlike marine hermit crabs, these species have adapted to life on land while maintaining a critical dependence on the sea for reproduction and shell acquisition. They inhabit empty gastropod shells to protect their soft, asymmetrical abdomens and carry water within their shells to prevent desiccation. The genus is closely related to the coconut crab (Birgus latro), with both genera forming the family Coenobitidae. Several species are popular in the pet trade.

  terrestrial-adaptationshell-utilizationosmoregulationcoastal-ecologypet-tradeIndo-Pacific-distributionwrack-fauna-feedingsocial-behaviormarine-larval-stagehermit-crab

• Paguroidea

  hermit crabs

  Paguroidea is a superfamily of decapod crustaceans comprising approximately 1100 species commonly known as hermit crabs. Members are characterized by a soft, asymmetrical abdomen adapted to occupy empty gastropod shells or, in specialized lineages, symbiotic relationships with sea anemones that form protective 'blankets' or 'carcinoecia'. The superfamily exhibits remarkable diversity in shell-use strategies, from traditional gastropod shells to bivalve shells and anemone-derived structures. Distributed across marine environments from intertidal zones to deep-sea habitats, with some lineages having colonized terrestrial ecosystems.

  decapodcrustaceanshell-symbiosisanemone-symbiosismarine-invertebratedeep-seaintertidalterrestrial-adaptationsexual-dimorphismcarcinoeciafossil-record-(Pliocene)