Shell recruitment in the Mediterranean hermit crab Clibanarius erythropus

Crustacean parasites associated with hermit crabs from the western Mediterranean Sea, with first documentation of egg predation by the burrowing barnacle Trypetesa lampas (Cirripedia: Acrothoracica: Trypetesidae)

“…In particular, Clibanarius erythropus (Latreille, 1818) and Calcinus tubularis (L., 1767) have been intensively studied (e.g. Botelho & Costa 2000;Pessani et al 2000;Benvenuto et al 2003;Gherardi 2004;Caruso & Chemello 2009;Tricarico et al 2009). Like most hermit crabs, these species occupy empty gastropod shells for shelter, although female C. tubularis are also known to occupy tubes of polychaete worms (Gherardi 2004).…”

“…Like most hermit crabs, these species occupy empty gastropod shells for shelter, although female C. tubularis are also known to occupy tubes of polychaete worms (Gherardi 2004). C. erythropus use various methods to obtain shells, including attending sites of gastropod predation (Tricarico et al 2009). They are able to detect the odors released when snails are digested and can follow this trail to areas of predation.…”

Swarms of swift scavengers: ecological role of marine intertidal hermit crabs in California

“…We conducted our experiments in the Pacific intertidal off the coast of California, an area renowned for its biodiversity (Morris et al 1980). Prior field experiments on hermit crabs' attraction to simulated predation sites have, for the most part, been conducted in the Atlantic Ocean (Rittschof 1980a;Tricarico and Gherardi 2006) and the Mediterranean Sea (Tricarico et al 2009), so our study provides valuable comparative data from the Pacific. Observations and experiments were carried out in the rocky intertidal habitat ( Figure S1 (Morris et al 1980).…”

“…An ability to quickly locate gastropod predation events may aid hermit crabs in finding new shells, since many predators leave shells intact after consuming the gastropod's flesh (reviewed in Table 1 of McGuire and Williams 2010). It has therefore been argued (Rittschof 1980b(Rittschof , 1992Rittschof et al 1992;Mclean 1983;Gilchrist 1984;Pezzuti et al 2002;Tricarico and Gherardi 2006;Tricarico et al 2009) that hermit crabs are attracted to the scent of gastropod flesh primarily, if not exclusively, because it serves as an indicator of shell availability. Critically though the attractants in gastropod flesh that indicate shell availability are only released an hour or more after a gastropod is smashed; or if the gastropod flesh is treated with predator proteases like trypsin, which generates small peptides that serve as 'shell cues' (Rittschof 1980b).…”

Hermit crabs (Pagurusspp.) at their northernmost range: distribution, abundance and shell use in the European Arctic

“…Therefore, they are a good example of ecosystem engineers (Stachowitsch 1977;McLean 1983;Jones et al 1994Jones et al , 1997Reiss et al 2003;Bell 2005;Balazy & Kuklinski 2013) and interesting model organisms for testing hypotheses on resource use and biodiversity patterns (Williams & McDermott 2004). Previous research on hermit crabs has been mostly carried out in tropical and temperate seas (Abrams 1980;Barnes 1997Barnes , 1999Barnes & De Grave 2000;Sandford 2003;Fransozo et al 2007;Zuschin & Pille 2007;AyresPeres & Mantelatto 2008;Bach & Hazlett 2009;Tricarico et al 2009). Studies from higher latitudes are still scarce, partly because of logistic constraints (but see Samuelsen 1970;Squires et al 1993;Barnes et al 2007;Kuklinski et al 2008;Balazy & Kuklinski 2013;Peura et al 2013).…”