The halloween hermit crab (''Ciliopagurus strigatus''), also known as the striped hermit crab or orange-legged hermit crab, is a brightly colored aquatic

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 ...

of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

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 ...

. Besides its ability to routinely clean

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 ...

in aquaria, the halloween hermit crab's festive striped coloration also appeals to enthusiasts; it is considered the most brightly colored hermit crab in normal aquarium use.

Characteristics

The halloween hermit crab is commonly found along

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

substrates in the ocean, along sandy areas surrounding reefs, but not typically on top of the reefs, in shallow (less than ) tropical, coastal waters. It is native to the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region, including the

Red Sea The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...

and

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. It is very similar in appearance to three other species in the same genus: '' C. tricolor'', '' C. vakovako'', and '' C. galzini'', only distinguishable by the color of its striae. The halloween hermit crab typically grows to in length, which is fairly large in comparison to other hermit crabs. It has a noticeably flattened, pure white shield, about long. It is a

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

species, and has been described as "conspicuous". It lives primarily in empty

cone shell ''Conus'' is a genus of predatory sea snails, or cone snails, marine gastropod mollusks in the family Conidae.Bouchet, P.; Gofas, S. (2015). Conus Linnaeus, 1758. In: MolluscaBase (2015). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at ...

s, mainly those of

snail A snail is, in loose terms, a shelled gastropod. The name is most often applied to land snails, terrestrial pulmonate gastropod molluscs. However, the common name ''snail'' is also used for most of the members of the molluscan class Gastro ...

s or

triton Triton commonly refers to: * Triton (mythology), a Greek god * Triton (moon), a satellite of Neptune Triton may also refer to: Biology * Triton cockatoo, a parrot * Triton (gastropod), a group of sea snails * ''Triton'', a synonym of ''Triturus' ...

s. Like other hermit crabs, it wears shells to protect itself from predators. Its

ocular Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and con ...

peduncles and antennae are a solid orange and the antennal

flagella A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates. A microorganism may have f ...

are transparent. The propodus has parallel ridges on the palm, with similar ridges on the dactyls (the movable part of the pincers). The halloween hermit crab can live for up to 10 years.

Coloration

The halloween hermit crab is well known for its distinct and vibrant coloration. It has been described as an unusual hermit crab and the brightest of the hermit crabs typically available, with vividly colored walking legs, a red body, and alternating horizontal bright orange and white bands, giving it the likeness of the festive colors of Halloween. These characteristics make the Halloween hermit crab attractive to aquarists.

Diet

The halloween hermit crab is omnivorous and a scavenger, eating nearly anything that appears in its environment, including small animals. It feeds on live and dead animal material, including

filamentous 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 micro ...

and

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

. If a halloween hermit crab's shell is too small, it may attack a snail for a larger shell. The halloween hermit crab can eat quickly.

Use in aquaria

Aquarium owners may use the halloween hermit crab because it is visually unlike other aquarium-cleaning crabs. It can eat any leftover food that settles along the bottom, sifts through the sand, which aerates the aquarium substrate, and is well known to eat

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

, unsightly brown bacteria, and filamentous

green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as ...

efficiently. Because it can become aggressive towards other tank animals and may even kill fish and other invertebrates, feeding it meats, such as clams, mussels, scallops and shrimp along with various vegetation may reduce this behavior. Overall, it can support a healthy aquarium environment.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halloween Hermit Crab Hermit crabs Crustaceans described in 1804