Land Hermit Crabs - Species List
Taxonomy of Land Hermit Crabs
Taxonomy of Land Hermit Crabs | C. clypeatus | C. brevimanus | C. rugosa | Crab Care Sites

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Hermit crabs are of the family Coenobitidae.  They are not true crabs but are more closely related to shrimp.  Land Hermit Crabs live on the land (terresterial) in their adult forms, but as with all marine crustaceans, they have their beginnings in the ocean.

Phylum -- Arthropoda:  Animals with specialized body segments, hardened exo skeleton and joined appendeges
Subphylum -- Diantennata:  Arthropods with a pair of mandibles that flank the mouth and at least one set of antennae
Class -- Crustacea:  Diantennata with two pairs of antennae and double branched (biramous) appendages
Order -- Decapoda:  Crustacea with five pairs of legs
Infraorder -- Anomura:  Decapoda, with reduced fifth pair of thoracic legs and the folded up bases above the bases of the fourth pairs of legs
Family -- Coenobitidae:  Land (Terrestrial) hermit crabs
Genus -- Coenobita: 
Species:
1) C. brevimanus
2) C. cavipes
3) C. compressus
4) C. cylpeatus
5) C. perlatus
6) C. rugosa
7) C. spinosa
8) C. variabilis
(From Vanessa Pike-Russell's Hermit Crab Page which used as the source:  Philippe de Vosjoli, 1999)

SOME LAND HERMIT CRAB SPECIES
AND WHERE THEY ARE FOUND:
 
Australian  LHC
1) Crazy Crabs -- C. variabilis
2) Strawberry Crabs  -- C. perlatus
Carribean Land Hermit Crabs ( PP's):
1) Bahamas LHC -- C. clypeatus
2) Belize LHC -- C. clypeatus
Christmas Island LHC (Galapagos Island area):
1) Red's -- C. perlatus
2) Tawny's -- C. rugosa
3) Purple's -- C. brevimanus
Cook Island LHC (Hawaii) -- (Unknown but looking)
Ecuadorian LHC -- C. compressus
Guam LHC -- C. brevimanus
Indian LHC -- ?? but presently being sold in the USA
Indonesian LHC:
1) Singapore LHC -- C. cavipes
2) Singapore Mangrove LHC -- C. cavipes/spinosa/or brevimanus?
Nigerian LHC -- C. cavipes
Seychelles Island LHC -- C. brevimanus
Taiwan LHC -- C. rugosa
Thailand LHC -- C. brevimanus
 
Coconut or Robber Crab -- Birgus latro (related to hermit crabs)