''Scleroplax'' is a genus of

crab Crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" (abdomen) ( el, βραχύς , translit=brachys = short, / = tail), usually hidden entirely under the thorax. They live in all the ...

s in the family

Pinnotheridae The Pinnotheridae are a family of tiny soft-bodied crabs that live commensally in the mantles of certain bivalve molluscs (and the occasional large gastropod mollusc species in genera such as ''Strombus'' and ''Haliotis''). '' Tunicotheres moseri ...

. Species of the genus ''Scleroplax'' live as a

commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...

of various

burrow An Eastern chipmunk at the entrance of its burrow A burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to construct a space suitable for habitation or temporary refuge, or as a byproduct of locomotion. Burrows provide a form of sh ...

ing animals including the mud shrimp ''

Neotrypaea californiensis ''Neotrypaea californiensis'' (formerly ''Callianassa californiensis''), the Bay ghost shrimp, is a species of ghost shrimp that lives on the Pacific coast of North America. It is a pale animal which grows to a length of . One claw is bigger ...

'', '' N. gigas'', '' Upogebia pugettensis'' and '' U. macginiteorum'', and the

echiura The Echiura, or spoon worms, are a small group of marine animals. Once treated as a separate phylum, they are now considered to belong to Annelida. Annelids typically have their bodies divided into segments, but echiurans have secondarily lo ...

n worm ''

Urechis caupo ''Urechis caupo'' is a species of spoon worm in the family Urechidae, commonly known as the innkeeper echiuran, the fat innkeeper worm (because the tunnels often contain other animals), the innkeeper worm, or the penis fish. It is found in shal ...

'' (known as the " fat innkeeper"), and occurs from

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are o ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Punta Abreojos () NGIA (2004) is a fishing town in Mulegé Municipality, Baja California Sur, Mexico. It is located at the entrance to , a Biosphere Reserve which is frequently visited by pods of grey whales. Rains (2006) An isolated hill, high, rises a few mi ...

Mulegé Mulegé is a city in Mulegé Municipality, Baja California Sur, situated on the Gulf of California. Located on the Gulf of California, the population was 3,821 according to the Mexican census of 2010. History Indigenous peoples had lived in t ...

Baja California Sur Baja California Sur (; 'South Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California Sur ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California Sur), is the least populated state and the 31st admitted state of the 32 federal ent ...

, Mexico.

References

Pinnotheroidea Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean Taxa named by Mary J. Rathbun {{crab-stub