Clibanarius erythropus

Clibanarius erythropus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Infraorder: Anomura
Family: Diogenidae
Genus: Clibanarius
Species: C. erythropus
Binomial name
Clibanarius erythropus
(Latreille, 1818) [1]
Synonyms [1]
  • Clibanarius misanthropus (Risso, 1827)
  • Pagurus erythropus Latreille, 1818
  • Pagurus hirsutus Costa, 1829–1838
  • Pagurus misanthropus Risso, 1827
  • Pagurus nigritarsis Lucas, 1846

Clibanarius erythropus is a species of hermit crab that lives in rockpools and sublittoral waters.[2] It is found in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean from the Azores to Brittany, the Channel Islands and as far north as the south Cornwall coast.[2][3][4] Individuals may grow up to a carapace length of 15 millimetres (0.6 in).[2]

Clibanarius erythropus, the Black Sea

Ecology

A variety of different gastropod shells are used by C. erythropus, the most frequent being Littorina striata, Mitra, Nassarius incrassatus and Stramonita haemastoma, which collectively account for 85% of all the individuals studied in the Azores;[5] in the Mediterranean, shells of Cerithium, Alvania montagui and Pisania maculosa are most used by C. erythropus.[6]

Like other hermit crabs, C. erythropus feeds on "organic debris, decayed and fresh macro-algae with associated fauna and epiphytic algal flora, small invertebrates, and macroscopic pieces of dead and live animal tissues".[3] It has been shown that C. erythropus individuals select substrates where they can cover large distances, and that globose shells allow them greater mobility than elongate ones.[3]

Popular culture

In 2016 the BBC Springwatch programme highlighted Clibanararius erythropus and ran a competition to provide a vernacular name. The winning name was St Piran's crab, a process supported by National Trust West Cornwall and the Cornwall Wildlife Trust. St Piran is the patron saint of Cornwall, and was a hermit who survived being thrown into the sea. [7][4]

References

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