''Coenobita rubescens'' is a species of terrestrial (land-living)

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 as ...

, family

Coenobitidae The Coenobitidae are the family of terrestrial hermit crabs, widely known for their land-living habits as adults. They are found in coastal tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude b ...

. They are the only known terrestrial hermit crab species on the Atlantic coast of western Africa. They were first described by the German zoologist

Richard Greeff Richard Greeff (14 March 1829, Elberfeld – 30 August 1892, Marburg) was a German zoologist. He studied medicine in Würzburg, Heidelberg and Berlin, receiving his medical doctorate in 1857. Following graduation, he worked as a hospital assis ...

in the West African islands of

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álvar ...

and Rolas, after initially being misidentified as '' Coenobita rugosus''. They are able to venture far inland, in altitudes exceeding . In spite of this, the ovigerous females must release the fertilized eggs in the ocean for the larvae to develop (as with all known species of terrestrial hermit crabs). The species is presumably named for the dark red coloration of their

exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...

. Under Greeff's original observation, this species has a more elongated antennule and the left cheliped lacks the stridulation ridges (as such seen in ''C. rugosus''), leading to the distinction. At approximately , they are rather small by ''

Coenobita :''The junior homonym ''Coenobita'' Gistl, 1848 is now the moth genus '' Ectropis''. The genus ''Coenobita'' contains 17 species of terrestrial hermit crabs. Several species in this genus are kept as pets. Ecology ''Coenobita'' species carry wa ...

'' standards. As with other terrestrial hermit crab species, they are

omnivorous An omnivore () is an animal that has the ability to eat and survive on both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize the nut ...

. There are reports of this species carrying a sea urchin

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

in place of a more typical

gastropod shell The gastropod shell is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, a kind of mollusc. The shell is an exoskeleton, which protects from predators, mechanical damage, and dehydration, but also serves for muscle attachment and calcium storage. Some ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q13472683 Hermit crabs Terrestrial crustaceans Crustaceans described in 1884