Australian land hermit crab
From Freepedia
| Australian land hermit crab | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Image:Bfgnbigred2.jpg A hermit crab from Northern Territory | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Coenobita variabilis McCulloch, 1909 |
The Australian land hermit crab (Coenobita variabilis) is one of two terrestrial hermit crab species native to Australia, Coenobita variabilis, and is found in northern parts of Australia including northern Western Australia, Northern Territory and northern Queensland. The other terrestrial species is the Strawberry Land Hermit Crab (C. perlatus) which is reportedly restricted to the islands and coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef, north-eastern Australia.
The Australian land hermit crab (Coenobita variabilis) ranges in size between a pea and a tennis ball. They closely resemble the Pacific hermit crab (Coenobita compressus) in appearance and they both have a shortened aquatic development stage.
The preferred seashells of C. variabilis include Babylonia, Nerita, Phasianella, Thais, Tonna and Turban seashells. They are also found to be fond of several varieties of land snail shells such as Aratan Snail and Rice Snail.
Australian land hermit crabs are sold as pets under the trade names 'Aussie Hermits', 'Crazy Crabs' and 'Happy Hermits'. It is recommended that they are kept in tropical conditions with temperatures ranging between 21°C and 28°C, with the relative humidity between 70% and 80%.
References
- Harvey A & Brodie R, "Development of the terrestrial hermit crab, Coenobita compressus, in the laboratory". 2001. Journal of Crustacean Biology, vol 21. 715-732.
- About Land Hermit Crabs
- ITIS Standard Report Page: Paguroidea
External links
- Crab Street Journal, online magazine for land hermit crab owners
- The Land Hermit Crab Owners Society, online society for land hermit crab owners
