Dardanus calidus

Dardanus calidus is a species of hermit crab from the East Atlantic (Portugal to Senegal) and Mediterranean Sea.

Dardanus calidus
Dardanus calidus with the sea anemone Calliactis parasitica on the shell it is inhabiting
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Decapoda
Family:
Diogenidae
Genus:
Dardanus
Species:
D. calidus
Binomial name
Dardanus calidus
(Risso, 1827)
Synonyms

Pagurus calidus Risso, 1827

Description

D. calidus can grow to a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in). It uses large gastropod shells, such as those of Tonna galea and Charonia species, which it often decorates with one or more sea anemones of the species Calliactis parasitica.[1] The relationship with the anemone is truly symbiotic, since the anemone gains scraps of food from the hermit crab, while the crab benefits from the anemone's stinging tentacles deterring predators.[1]

Distribution and ecology

Dardanus calidus is a scavenger, feeding on decaying matter from the sea bed.[1]

It has been collected from depths greater than 100 metres (330 ft), but is more typically found in shallower water.[2]

Taxonomic history

Dardanus calidus was first described by Antoine Risso in 1827, under the name Pagurus calidus, and was transferred to the genus Dardanus by Jacques Forest in 1958.[3] The larval form Glaucothoë rostrata, described by Edward J. Miers in 1881, has also been assigned to D. calidus.[4]

References
  1. Lesley Orson Wood & Lawson Wood (2006). "Hermit crabs". Malta, Comino and Gozo. Globetrotter dive guide (2nd ed.). New Holland Publishers. pp. 76–77. ISBN 978-1-84330-942-0.
  2. Morton, Brian; Britton, Joseph C. (2000). "The origins of the coastal and marine flora and fauna of the Azores". In Gibson, R. N.; Barnes, Margaret (eds.). Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual Review. Volume 38 of Oceanography and Marine Biology Series. Taylor & Francis. pp. 13–84. ISBN 978-0-415-23842-7.
  3. Michael Türkay (2010). P. McLaughlin (ed.). "Dardanus calidus". World Paguroidea database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  4. Anthony J. Provenzano, Jr. (1963). "The Glaucothoë stage of Dardanus venosus (H. Milne-Edwards) (Decapoda: Anomura)". Bulletin of Marine Science. 13 (1): 11–22.
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