Dardanus calidus
Encyclopedia
Dardanus calidus is a species
of hermit crab
.
s, such as those of Tonna galea
and Charonia species, which it often decorates with one or more sea anemone
s of the species Calliactis parasitica
. The relationship with the anemone is truly symbiotic
, since the anemone gains scraps of food from the hermit crab, while the crab benefits from the anemone's stinging tentacle
s deterring predators.
, feeding on decaying matter from the sea bed.
It has been collected from depths greater than 100 metres (328.1 ft), but is more typically found in shallower water.
in 1827, under the name Pagurus calidus, and was transferred to the genus Dardanus
by Jacques Forest in 1958. The larval form
Glaucothoë rostrata, described by Edward J. Miers
in 1881, has also been assigned to D. calidus.
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...
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:...
.
Description
D. calidus can grow to a length of 12 centimetres (4.7 in). It uses large gastropod shellGastropod 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...
s, such as those of Tonna galea
Tonna galea
Tonna galea is a very large species of sea snail or tun snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Tonnidae, the tun shells.- Description :The maximum recorded shell length is 190 mm....
and Charonia species, which it often decorates with one or more sea anemone
Sea anemone
Sea anemones are a group of water-dwelling, predatory animals of the order Actiniaria; they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flower. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Zoantharia. Anthozoa often have large polyps that allow for digestion of larger...
s of the species Calliactis parasitica
Calliactis parasitica
Calliactis parasitica is a species of sea anemone associated with hermit crabs. It lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea at depths between the intertidal zone and . It is up to in size, with up to 700 tentacles, and is very variable in colour. The relationship between C...
. The relationship with the anemone is truly symbiotic
Symbiosis
Symbiosis is close and often long-term interaction between different biological species. In 1877 Bennett used the word symbiosis to describe the mutualistic relationship in lichens...
, since the anemone gains scraps of food from the hermit crab, while the crab benefits from the anemone's stinging tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s deterring predators.
Distribution and ecology
Dardanus calidus is a scavengerScavenger
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...
, feeding on decaying matter from the sea bed.
It has been collected from depths greater than 100 metres (328.1 ft), but is more typically found in shallower water.
Taxonomic history
Dardanus calidus was first described by Antoine RissoAntoine Risso
Giuseppe Antonio Risso , called Antoine Risso, was a Niçard naturalist.Risso was born in Nice, County of Nice, a part of the Duchy of Savoy, and studied under Giovanni Battista Balbis. He published , and . Risso's dolphin was named after him...
in 1827, under the name Pagurus calidus, and was transferred to the genus Dardanus
Dardanus (genus)
Dardanus is a genus of hermit crabs belonging to the Diogenidae family, containing the following species:*Dardanus arrosor *Dardanus aspersus *Dardanus australis Forest & Morgan, 1991...
by Jacques Forest in 1958. The larval form
Crustacean larvae
Crustaceans may pass through a number of larval and immature stages between hatching from their eggs and reaching their adult form. Each of the stages is separated by a moult, in which the hard exoskeleton is shed to allow the animal to grow...
Glaucothoë rostrata, described by Edward J. Miers
Edward J. Miers
Edward John Miers F.Z.S. F.L.S. was a British zoologist and curator of the crustacean collection at the Natural History Museum in London...
in 1881, has also been assigned to D. calidus.