Clibanarius is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of hermit crab

Hermit crab

Hermit crabs are decapod crustaceans of the superfamily Paguroidea. Most of the 1100 species possess an asymmetrical abdomen which is concealed in an empty gastropod shell that is carried around by the hermit crab.-Description:...

s in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Diogenidae. Like other hermit crabs, their abdomen

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

 is soft-shelled and sheltered in a gastropod shell

Gastropod shell

The gastropod shell is a shell which is part of the body of a gastropod or snail, one kind of mollusc. The gastropod shell is an external skeleton or exoskeleton, which serves not only for muscle attachment, but also for protection from predators and from mechanical damage...

. Typically marine

Marine (ocean)

Marine is an umbrella term. As an adjective it is usually applicable to things relating to the sea or ocean, such as marine biology, marine ecology and marine geology...

 like all their relatives, the genus includes C. fonticola

Clibanarius fonticola

Clibanarius fonticola is the only species of hermit crab in the world that lives in fresh water. It is found on the island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. While a number of other hermit crabs are terrestrial or live in estuarine habitats, C. fonticola is the only species that spends its life in fresh...

, the only known hermit crab species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 that spends all its life in freshwater

Freshwater

Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...

.

They are omnivore

Omnivore

Omnivores are species that eat both plants and animals as their primary food source...

s, but mostly prey on small animals and scavenge

Scavenger

Scavenging is both a carnivorous and herbivorous feeding behavior in which individual scavengers search out dead animal and dead plant biomass on which to feed. The eating of carrion from the same species is referred to as cannibalism. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by...

 carrion

Carrion

Carrion refers to the carcass of a dead animal. Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters include vultures, hawks, eagles, hyenas, Virginia Opossum, Tasmanian Devils, coyotes, Komodo dragons, and burying beetles...

.

Species

As of 2009, about 60 species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 are recognized in Clibanarius; new species are discovered and described occasionally. Others have been placed here at one time or another but are now assigned to other genera of Diogenidae, namely Bathynarius, Calcinus

Calcinus

Calcinus is a genus of hermit crabs in the family Diogenidae, containing the following species:*Calcinus albengai Poupin & Lemaitre, 2003*Calcinus anani Poupin & McLaughlin, 1998*Calcinus argus Wooster, 1984...

, Paguristes

Paguristes

Paguristes is a genus of hermit crab in the family Diogenidae. It includes the following species :*Paguristes acanthomerus Ortmann, 1892*Paguristes aciculus Grant, 1905...

, Strigopagurus and Trizopagurus.

The Clibanarius species are:

• Clibanarius aequabilis (Dana, 1851)
• Clibanarius africanus Aurivillus, 1898
• Clibanarius albidigitus Nobili, 1901
• Clibanarius ambonensis Rahayu & Forest, 1993
• Clibanarius antennatus Rahayu & Forest, 1993
• Clibanarius antillensis Stimpson, 1859
• Clibanarius arethusa De Man, 1888
• Clibanarius astathes (Stebbing, 1924)
• Clibanarius bimaculatus De Haan, 1849
• Clibanarius bistriatus Rahayu & Forest, 1993
• Clibanarius boschmai Buitendijk, 1937
• Clibanarius carnifex Heller, 1861
• Clibanarius chapini Schmitt, 1926
• Clibanarius clibanarius (Herbst, 1791)
• Clibanarius cooki Rathbun, 1900
• Clibanarius corallinus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1848)
• Clibanarius cruentatus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1848)
• Clibanarius danai Rahayu & Forest, 1993
• Clibanarius demani Buitendijk, 1937
• Clibanarius digueti
  Clibanarius digueti
  Clibanarius digueti is a species of hermit crab that lives off the western coast of Mexico, and is abundant in the Gulf of California. It is known under various common names such as the Mexican hermit crab, the blue-eyed spotted hermit or the Gulf of California hermit crab.-Description:Both males...
  
  Bouvier, 1898
• Clibanarius englaucus Ball & Haig, 1972
• Clibanarius erythropus
  Clibanarius erythropus
  Clibanarius erythropus is a species of hermit crab that lives in rockpools and sublittoral waters. It is found in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and eastern Atlantic Ocean from the Azores to Brittany, and as far north as the Channel Islands. Individuals may grow up to a carapace length of...
  
  (Latreille, 1818)
• Clibanarius eurysternus (Hilgendorf, 1879)
• Clibanarius fonticola
  Clibanarius fonticola
  Clibanarius fonticola is the only species of hermit crab in the world that lives in fresh water. It is found on the island of Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. While a number of other hermit crabs are terrestrial or live in estuarine habitats, C. fonticola is the only species that spends its life in fresh...
  
  McLaughlin & Murray, 1990
• Clibanarius foresti Holthuis, 1959
• Clibanarius harisi Rahayu, 2003
• Clibanarius hirsutimanus Kobjakova, 1971
• Clibanarius humilis (Dana, 1851)
• Clibanarius inaequalis (De Haan, 1849)
• Clibanarius infraspinatus (Hilgendorf, 1869)
• Clibanarius janethaigae Hendrickx & Esparza-Haro, 1997
• Clibanarius laevimanus Buitendijk, 1937
• Clibanarius lineatus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1848)
• Clibanarius longitarsus (De Haan, 1849)
• Clibanarius merguiensis De Man, 1888
• Clibanarius multipunctatus Wang & Tung, 1986
• Clibanarius nathi Chopra & Das, 1940
• Clibanarius olivaceus Henderson, 1915
• Clibanarius pacificus Stimpson, 1858
• Clibanarius padavensis De Man, 1888
• Clibanarius ransoni Forest, 1953
• Clibanarius rhabdodactylus Forest, 1953
• Clibanarius rosewateri Manning & Chace, 1990
• Clibanarius rubroviria Rahayu, 1999
• Clibanarius rutilus Rahayu, 1999
• Clibanarius sachalinicus Kobjakova, 1955
• Clibanarius sclopetarius (Herbst, 1796)
• Clibanarius senegalensis Chevreux & Bouvier, 1892
• Clibanarius serenei Rahayu & Forest, 1993
• Clibanarius signatus Heller, 1861
• Clibanarius similis Rahayu & Forest, 1993
• Clibanarius snelliusi Buitendijk, 1937
• Clibanarius striolatus Dana, 1852
• Clibanarius taeniatus (H. Milne-Edwards, 1848)
• Clibanarius tricolor (Gibbes, 1850)
• Clibanarius virescens (Krauss, 1843)
• Clibanarius vittatus (Bosc, 1802)
• Clibanarius willeyi Southwell, 1910
• Clibanarius zebra Dana, 1852

Clibanarius elongatus (H. Milne Edwards, 1848) is a nomen dubium

Nomen dubium

In zoological nomenclature, a nomen dubium is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application...

.