subject: Strawberry Land Hermit Crab [print this page] Distribution Distribution
C. perlatus is native to the Indo-Pacific region, specifically Madagascar, Japan, and Australia and in other areas around the Red Sea and the Pacific. However, they have spread to other Atlantic regions because humans have brought them there.
In Australia they are restricted to islands and coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef where they have been found to scavenge on sea terns, tortoise eggs and other crabs.
Description
These hermit crabs are noted for their bright red colouring and white granual markings. They can be 18mm in length.
Juveniles are white with red antennae, but as they grow and moult, their orange and red colouring appears. During their younger years, they are more of a pale red or orange colour. As adults, they are very red. Their eyestalks are the same colour as their body and are thick. Their walking legs are thick and strong for climbing.
Coenobita perlatus has 47 pronounced striations on the large pincer in a pattern similar to Coenobita rugosus and to a lesser extent Coenobita compressus.
As a pet
Like all hermit crabs, it prefers gastropod shells with a round, uninterrupted aperture such as Turbo shells.[citation needed]
They are most active at a relative humidity of about 80% and a temperature of about 80F (27C).
They can live for around 30 years in the wild. In captivity they have been known to live for about 32 years.
References
McLaughlin, P. A. & P. Dworschak (2001). "Reappraisal of hermit crab species (Crustacea: Anomura: Paguridea) reported by Camill Heller in 1861, 1862 and 1865" (PDF). Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 103B: 135176. http://www.nhm-wien.ac.at/NHM/3Zoo/PM_PD.pdf.
Categories: Hermit crabs | Terrestrial crustaceans | Pet crustaceans | Animals described in 1837Hidden categories: Articles needing additional references from February 2009 | All articles needing additional references | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from April 2008 | Articles lacking in-text citations from February 2009 | All articles lacking in-text citations
