Search
Pagarus granosimanus
Common name(s): Grainy hermit crab
Identification:
Lives in snail shell. First pair of walking legs unequal with pincers, right one larger.
Claws covered with fine granules.
Color:
Olive-brown with white or blue speckles on pincers.
Size:
19 mm long, 16 mm wide (shell)
Range and Habitat:
Alaska to Baja California on rocky shores in tide pools. Between high and low tide lines (50 m).
Life History:
Spends life looking for larger shells and will fight other hermit crabs for shell if they can't find one. P. franosimanus will generally look for shells into which they are able to withdraw completely.
Comments:
Pagurus granosimanus is most common wearing a shell of the Black Turban Snail. It is often confused with the Little Harry Hermit Crab (P. hirsutiusculus).
Links
General Hermit Crab Information
Suggested Reading:
Elwood, R. W. and S. J. Neil. 1992. Assessments and Decisions: A Study of Information Gathering by Hermit Crabs (Studies in Behavioral Adaptation) Chapman & Hall.
Kozloff, Eugene N. 2000. Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast. University of Washington Press: Seattle and London.
Last updated Thursday, August 24, 2006, by Lisa Ferrier
