Dardanus pedunculatus (Anemone hermit crab)
Large hermit crab with red to brown claws and legs and antennae, few pale bristles on the legs, white and dark red banded eyestalks with blue-green eyes. They carry symbiotic anemones on their shell.
Unassessed by the IUCN Red list, but seen throughout Asian oceans.
They can be found from the Seychelles to Hawaii and Japan. they prefer coral reefs, sandy bottoms, but are also often seen in the littoral and subtidal zones, also in shallow seagrass patches, in a depth range of 0-95 meters.
Hermit crabs perform courtship before mating, consisting of sensing and “feeling” each other.
Up to 6cm (without the shell).
Hermit crabs are scavengers, feeding on anything they can find.
This species of hermit crab has a symbiotic relationship with the anemones on its shell. In return for defense by the stinging cells, the anemones benefit from the food particles it catches when the hermit crab eats. The anemones can transfer to the new shell when the hermit crabs switches homes.
