Shells as Homes - Florida Hermit Crabs

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I thought something shell-related, but a little different might be a series showing the different shells hermit crabs select for homes. Unless noted otherwise, all photos are by Marlo Krisberg.

If any of you are familiar with the species names for the crabs that show up in this topic, please reply with the names.

Everyone is invited to reply to this topic with their pictures of hermit crabs at home in their shells.

 

 

                        Stramonita haemastoma floridana with tenant (Calcinus tibicen). Jupiter Sound, Florida.

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Found by and photo by Bill Frank.

Busycotypus canaliculatus , Jacksonville,

Duval County.

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Looks like Calcinus tibicen in a

Calliostoma euglyptum. Fort Pierce

Inlet, Florida.

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             Naticarius canrena with tenant (Clibanarius vittatus). Jupiter Sound, Florida.

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           Polinices lacteus with tenant. Jupiter Sound, Florida.

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Cerithium atratum with tenant. Jupiter Sound, Florida.

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Urosalpinx tampaensis with tenant. Banana River, Brevard County, Florida.

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Hexaplex fulvescens with tenant. Port

Canaveral, Brevard County, Florida.

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Busycon carica form eliceans with tenant (Clibanarius vittatus). Port Canaveral, Brevard County, Florida.

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Terebra dislocata with tenant. Sand flats inside St. Augustine Inlet, St. Johns County, Florida.

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​Oliva sayana with tenant.

Inside St. Lucie Inlet, Martin

County, Florida. 7/2008

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Busycon sinistrum with tenant.

Goodland Bay, Collier County, Florida.

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Neritina virginea with tenant (Clibanarius tricolor).

Palm Beach Inlet, Palm Beach County, Florida.

Photo and crab ID by Gustav Paulay.

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Another Neritina virginea. Grand Cayman.

Photo by Les Wilk.

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And another from Lake Worth Lagoon

(Florida) by Les Wilk.

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Strombus gigas with tenant. The shell is nine

inches. Found in the Lower Florida Keys, 1977.

Tenant is Petrochirus diogenes, Giant Hermit Crab

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Busycotypus spiratus pyruloides

with tenant (Clibanarius vittatus).

Pelican Island, Indian River Lagoon,

Indian River County, Florida.

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6/14/16 Fabio Moretzsohn:

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Not sure if anyone is still following this thread;

the last post was about 8 years ago. Anyway,

I wonder if anyone has noticed or know if the

same species of hermit crabs can inhabit both

sinistral and dextral shells? Here in south

Texas, the most common large gastropod is

Busycon pulleyi, a sinistral shell. Virtually every

shell that is not occupied by the mollusk has

a hermit crab (unless it is very old, broken and

has too many encrustations, or is a very large

shell). Another large gastropod, Triplofusus

giganteus is less common; I have found a few

empty shells. However, most shells also have

a hermit crab that appears to be the same that

lives in the sinistral shells, Clibanarius vittatus.

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