Pagurus hemphilli
| Pagurus hemphilli | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Family: | Paguridae |
| Genus: | Pagurus |
| Species: | P. hemphilli
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pagurus hemphilli Benedict, 1895
| |
Pagurus hemphilli is a species of hermit crab in the family Paguridae. It is found in the Eastern Pacific and was described from Monterey, California.[1]
Description
Pagurus. hemphilli is a rich maroon color with small blue dots, yellow-tipped dactyls, gold-ringed corneae, and red to orange-red antennae[2] that lack spots or rings.[3] Juveniles sometimes have white bands on their ambulatory legs. The chelipeds ("claws") are dramatically different in size, with the major cheliped being much larger than the minor cheliped.[1] It is almost totally hairless over its entire body and has a smooth, shiny shield.[1] It has a distinct rostrum that is produced well beyond the carapace lateral frontal lobes.[1] The chela palms are rough with visible bumps.[1] The uropods are asymmetrical, and the carapace can measure up to 15 mm (0.6 in).[1]
Its congener Pagurus granosimanus is similar in appearance,[2] with both being dark in color with light dots,[3] but true to its name, P. hemphilli is more maroon than the olive P. granosimanus.[3] and can also be separated from P. granosimanus based on the comparatively longer length of the outer portion of the carapace, even at the juvenile stage.[2] The legs of the two species are also quite different, with P. hemphilli having legs that are dark red with tiny yellow to blue spots and a white dot at the end, whereas P. granosimanus has olive legs with light blue spots.[3]
Range
Pagurus hemphilli ranges along the North American coast from Alaska[4] to the Central Coast of California.[5][1] It is more common towards the southernmost extent of its range in Central California.[1]
Habitat
Pagurus hemphilli is found on rocks in shallow water.[6] It mostly occupies the upper subtidal region to a depth of 50 m (160 ft), but can occur in low intertidal pools.[5] P. hemphilli occupies a deeper zone of the shoreline compared to its congeners, Pagurus samuelis, Pagurus granosimanus, and Pagurus hirsutiusculus.[5] It therefore has a comparatively lower tolerance of warm water, experiencing increased mortality from high water temperature, reportedly 50% mortality at 30.1 °C (86.2 °F).[5] In the wild, it prefers waters that do not exceed 20 °C (68 °F).[5]
Ecology
Most commonly, P. hemphilli dwells in the shells of Tegula species,[6] such as Tegula brunnea, Lithopoma species,[6] and Astraea species.[1] To acquire a better shell, P. hemphilli engages in shell fights,[7] with the loser conceding their shell. These shell fights may be intraspecific or with other Pagurus species.[7] In these fights, the larger hermit crab has the advantage.[7]
The shells that this species inhabits are often heavily encrusted with coralline algae and with hitchhikers like the slipper snail Crepidula adunca and the limpet Acmaea mitra.[1] A species of Amphipod in the genus Liljeborgia has been observed residing with this species of hermit crab inside the shell;[8] this commensal occupant remains undescribed.[9]
Etymology
Pagurus hemphilli is named after Henry Hemphill, an amateur American shell collector, malacologist, and member of the San Diego Society of Natural History.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Wicksten, Mary K. (5 January 2011). "Decapod Crustacea of the Californian and Oregonian Zoogeographic Provinces". escholarship. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Benedict, James E. (1892). "Preliminary descriptions of thirty-seven new species of hermit crabs of the genus Eupagurus in the U.S. National Museum". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 15 (887): 1–26. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.15-887.1.
- ^ a b c d Maxwell, Janisse; Helmstetler, Hans; Cowles, Dave. "Key to Family Paguridae". wallawalla.edu. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ Hart, Josephine F. L. (1980). "New records and extensions of range of reptant decapod Crustacea from the northeastern Pacific Ocean". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 58 (5): 767–769. Bibcode:1980CaJZ...58..767H. doi:10.1139/z80-109.
- ^ a b c d e Taylor, Phillip R. (January 22, 1982). "Environmental resistance and the ecology of coexisting hermit crabs: Thermal tolerance". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 57 (2–3): 229–236. Bibcode:1982JEMBE..57..229T. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(82)90194-0.
- ^ a b c "Pagurus hemphilli (Benedict, 1892) Maroon hermit". Seabase. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b c Abrams, Peter A. (1982-05-07). "Frequencies of interspecific shell exchanges between hermit crabs". Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 61 (1): 99–109. Bibcode:1982JEMBE..61...99A. doi:10.1016/0022-0981(82)90024-7.
- ^ Taylor, Phillip R. (1979). "An association between an amphipod, Liljeborgia sp., and the hermit crab, Pagurus hemphilli (Benedict)". Marine Behaviour and Physiology. 6 (3): 185–188. doi:10.1080/10236247909378565.
- ^ Marin, Ivan (2020). "A new species of the genus Liljeborgia Spence Bate, 1862 (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Liljeborgiidae) associated with burrows of the spoon worm Urechis unicinctus in the Sea of Japan". European Journal of Taxonomy (613): 1–19. doi:10.5852/ejt.2020.613.
- ^ "Shellers From the Past and the Present: Henry Hemphill". conchology. Retrieved 29 January 2026.