It is life long job for hermit crabs to hunt for new houses for at intervals they must find successively large shells to accommodate their growing body

Raghu Prasad, R

CMFRI Digital Repository

"'" IJ 'i ; . t ( i H '('t'.i i ' -ih ; IUH ••{, m ni'.ttMit i j<: t i l s »N M i l l j j > i .' ! ' i , : . ' c I ' i i i i i ! • ! , ) ( ' ' i : > , I I ( . . . * , : . ! , ' ! » - ' , ( . I j i , i "' ' '• ' i i '•• ' • • Si- ' I '',< V. (-• ( [ " : ; » I ) «•. • t i n , ( , ) , , 1, i v. ; i i t i ! . ! ' 11 ' "' ' i II • II ! ' ' ..'^ , I I i . ;< 11 ( l l i / , . , . i j l ( l ! | . ! i i M l >|, , .1 I t:r " ' • . . ' • ' „ .•: ! , : i i< , • i l l , , f j . ' i ! M i i i : n ; ' U ! ; ' , M i • ' ! . ! , " i s i ' r , i !" " •"'• ' •-. . M ' ..-• «ii ' i i . , ' i r '<!•! >. in , , ,n . ,( j . i '> i , ! r r i ( |i m ; ' 1 '! " ' " ' " " ' ' •"•' < « ' " i i . ' i " ! ' ! • . J O " < - . " \ : ' ' ' i . r | i ; . id • i icr . l ' , " ' ' ' ! l ' • "" " •'<• ' - i f : . (- • < h ' ',- ' :•• / , , >,!:,<'.<> i n : - i r - . - . n , i l i t , . , i ' ' ' •' " ' " i " 1 " ' > ! ' " ' ' n i ' i ' i i , . . ( I ' . ! > / . ( ! i i i l « , i | . ' , 'H . , . . n ! i , j ( ' -' ' I ' d " •! •, ' ! ' , • • ' ' • , > , ! ( : i V i J >.,; N I ' j .,1.1 ,<,,'>', '• "' • '< - •'•''•. 'I i f i I ' * / " ' . i i ' ) ' . • [ , ( ; . . , ' , ; . i , > r ! , ' i . ' '» h i ' . . i . i i , i i , i . j , . j | . . . , , I I , , , ' i , . , , , / , , , . , 1 ' ' " "l ' ' ' ' •• . i . ' - h !<K i h . - i i , , j , , ) -,, | i , . j 92 NOTES accommodated itself with an empty coconut. Another individual was so big that it seemed to have given up hope for finding a house, and was wandering about with its tail unprotected just like a little Birgus latro. The shells provide protection to the crab and when they are disturbed they quickly withdraw their body into the shell for safety, the chaelae efficiently blocking the opening of the shell. In those cases where coconut shells are used, the protection given by the house is hot.efficie.Ht as the animals cannot completely retreat into the shell. Further, it does not get a firm hold on the house as in the case of gastropod shells. The coconut shell protects only the soft abdomen and it is likely that the other parts do not require any sueh additional protection as they are very hard. MacGinitie and MacGinitie (1949) observed that hermit crabs when hard pressed for ' houses' will use almost anything that is hollow that can be made to serve until they findsomething better. As already mentioned the large Coenobitas were usually found housed in coconut shells. Examples of hermit crabs. habituaUy using ' houses' other than gastropod shells are known. One such case is that of the deep sea hermit crab, Pylocheles miersii found in the Indian Ocean which inhabits pieces of bamboo or hollow twigs of mangrove. The present one seems, to. be another instance' in^  which the hermit crab habitually uses, a coconut shell, instead of the conventional gastropod shell for its house. Central Marine Fisheries Research Station Marine Fisheries P. 0. R. RAGHU PRASAD. Mandapam Camp. Published with the permission of the Chief Research Officer, Central Marine Fisheries Research Station. R E F E R E N C E S : ALCOCK, A. 1902. A Naturalist in Indian.Seas. John Murray. London. MACGINITIE, G.E. and MACGINITIE NETTIE.. 1949'. Natural History of Marine Animals. McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc., New York. 

Coconut shell as a "House" of hermit crabs in Suheli par Laccadives

http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/920/1/Article_16.pdf

Coconut shell as a "House" of hermit crabs in Suheli par Laccadives

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

CMFRI Digital Repository