Aniculus maximus

Aniculus maximus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Malacostraca
Order: Decapoda
Suborder: Pleocyemata
Infraorder: Anomura
Family: Diogenidae
Genus: Aniculus
Species:
A. maximus
Binomial name
Aniculus maximus
Edmondson, 1952[1]

Aniculus maximus, the hairy yellow hermit crab or large hairy hermit crab, is an aquatic hermit crab of the family Diogenidae.

Description

Its colour ranges from intense red to golden yellow. It has white hairy bristles that extend from under its distinct yellow legs.[2] Its shield is marked with a series of furrows.[3]

The hermit crab's width can reach up to 10 cm (3.9 in).[4] Charles H. Edmonson of the Honolulu Bishop Museum gave it the name "maximus" or "the greatest" to describes it's large size, as its known to grow up to the size of a hand.[5]

Distribution

It is found in the Indo-Pacific region[6] and inhabit the Benthic zone[7] which ranges from 10 - 100 meters deep.[8] They are most commonly found at depths of 50 feet or deeper and habit ledges or caves.[9] At shallower depths of their habitat range (around 15 meters deep) they have been observed on coral reefs, rock reefs, and barrel sponges.[10]

It tends to feed on mollusks and has been seen killing them over a range of days to for their shell.[9] Aside from mollusks, the hairy yellow hermit crab is an omnivore and will eat algae or other meat it can find.[10]

Reproduction

The mating process of Aniculus maximus begins with a ritual initiated by olfactory and tactile indicators.[11] It reproduces sexually and indirectly through the use of spermatophores.[12] After mating, the female hermit crab keeps the fertilized eggs inside the underside of her shell. The eggs hatch into planktonic larvae that find shells of their own once mature enough.[13]

References

  1. ^ Patsy McLaughlin (2013). Lemaitre R, McLaughlin P (eds.). "Aniculus maximus Edmondson, 1952". World Paguroidea & Lomisoidea Database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  2. ^ Hoover, John P. (2010). Hawai'i's Sea Creatures: A Guide to Hawai'i's Marine Invertebrates.
  3. ^ Patsy A. McLaughlin & John P. Hoover (1996). "A new species of Aniculus Dana (Decapoda: Anomura: Diogenidae) from Hawaii". Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington. 109 (2): 299–305.
  4. ^ Sutton, Alan (31 July 2025). "Hairy Yellow Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs". Seaunseen. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  5. ^ Hoover, John P. (2010). Hawai'i's Sea Creatures: A Guide to Hawai'i's Marine Invertebrates.
  6. ^ Tin-Yam Chan. "Aniculus maximus Edmondson, 1952". BiotaTaiwanica. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
  7. ^ "Aniculus maximus, Hairy yellow hermit". sealifebase.se. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  8. ^ Poupin, Joseph; Bouchard, Jean-Marie; Dinhut, Vincent; Cleva, Régis; Dumas, Jacques (2019-09-12). Anomura (Crustacea Decapoda) from the Mayotte Region, Western Indian Ocean. Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. doi:10.5479/si.00775630.593.
  9. ^ a b Hoover, John P. (2010). Hawai'i's Sea Creatures: A Guide to Hawai'i's Marine Invertebrates.
  10. ^ a b Sutton, Alan (31 July 2025). "Hairy Yellow Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs". Seaunseen. Retrieved 31 July 2025.
  11. ^ "Aniculus maximus, Hairy yellow hermit". sealifebase.se. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  12. ^ "Wayback Machine". scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu. Archived from the original on 2024-04-16. Retrieved 2025-08-09.
  13. ^ Sutton, Alan (31 July 2025). "Hairy Yellow Hermit Crab- Facts and Photographs". Seaunseen. Retrieved 31 July 2025.

Further reading

  • Edmondson, C.H. (1952). Additional Central Pacific crustaceans. Occasional Papers of the Bernice P.Bishop Museum. 21: 67-86.
  • Reay, P.J. & J. Haig (1990). Coastal hermit crabs (Decapoda: Anomura) from Kenya, with a review and key to East African species. Bulletin of Marine Science 46(3): 578-589
  • Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.
  • McLaughlin, P. A., Komai, T., Lemaitre, R. & Rahayu, D.L. (2010). Annotated checklist of anomuran decapod crustaceans of the world (exclusive of the Kiwaoidea and families Chirostylidae and Galatheidae of the Galatheoidea. Part I — Lithodoidea, Lomisoidea and Paguroidea. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. Supplement 23: 5–107
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