''Cancellus'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
hermit crab
Hermit crabs are anomuran decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit crab, most of which possess an a ...
s in the family
Diogenidae
The Diogenidae are a family of hermit crabs, sometimes known as "left-handed hermit crabs" because in contrast to most other hermit crabs, its left chela (claw) is enlarged instead of the right. It comprises 429 extant species, and a further 46 e ...
.
Members of this genus are most commonly found living in small crevices in the outer
contintental shelf at
mesophotic depths. They can be found living in rocks,
sponges
Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate through ...
, and
algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular mic ...
among other places. The genus has a
cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...
. Four species are known from the western
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
(''C. heatherae'', ''C. ornatus'', ''C. viridis'', and C. ''spongicola'').
Species
''Cancellus'' contains 17 species:
* ''
Cancellus canaliculatus''
(Herbst, 1804)
* ''
Cancellus frontalis''
Forest & McLaughlin, 2000
*''
Cancellus heatherae''
* ''
Cancellus investigatoris''
Alcock, 1905
* ''
Cancellus laticoxa''
Forest & McLaughlin, 2000
* ''
Cancellus macrothrix''
Stebbing, 1924
* ''
Cancellus mayoae''
Forest & McLaughlin, 1998
* ''
Cancellus ornatus''
Benedict, 1901
* ''
Cancellus panglaoensis''
McLaughlin, 2008
* ''
Cancellus parfaiti''
A. Milne-Edwards & Bouvier, 1891
* ''
Cancellus quadraticoxa''
Morgan & Forest, 1991
* ''
Cancellus rhynchogonus''
Forest & McLaughlin, 2000
* ''
Cancellus sphaerogonus''
Forest & McLaughlin, 2000
* ''
Cancellus spongicola''
Benedict, 1901
* ''
Cancellus tanneri''
Faxon, 1893
* ''
Cancellus typus''
H. Milne-Edwards, 1836
* ''
Cancellus viridis''
Mayo, 1973
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4476036
Diogenidae