Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Crustacea

Subclass: Malacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Suborder: Pleocyemata

Infraorder: Anomura

Family: Paguridae

Scientific name: Pagurus bernhardus

 

Norwegian: vanlig eremittkreps

(Børsabergan - The Trondheim fjord / 4 meters / 11.03.2006)

Distribution: This is the most common hermit crab - or at least the one most frequently seen by divers. It thrives on sandy substrate, and is found from the tidal zone and down to several hundred meters depth. It is common along the entire coast of Norway.

Characteristics: The color is brown. The claws are jagged, but hairless.

It is not unusual to find bristle worms inside the snail shell. They eat leftovers from the hermit crabs. In return they remove any parasites from the abdomen. The common hermit crab is also flexible when picking from the menu, and eats almost anything it can catch, including its own relatives.

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