Calcinus morgani

Calcinus morgani
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Calcinidae
Genus:	Calcinus
Species:	C. morgani
Binomial name
Calcinus morgani Rahayu & Forest, 1999[1]
Synonyms[1]
Calcinus areolatus Rahayu & Forest, 1999

Calcinus morgani, commonly known as Morgan's hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab in the family Diogenidae found in the Indo-West Pacific region, the type locality being Indonesia.^[1]

Description

This hermit crab has a shield 1.15 to 1.4 times as long as it is broad. The rostral lobe is triangular and the lateral projections very small and blunt. The eye-stalks have inflated bases and are nearly as long as the shield. The left

The shield is whitish with dark brown margins, the eye-stalks are bright blue with brown bases, the antennal appendages are dark brown and orange, the chelipeds are dark brown with white tips and white tubercles, and the pereopods are dark brown with white bands near the claws.[2] This hermit crab was at one time thought to be synonymous with Calcinus gaimardii but that species has the front half of the shield dark brown and lacks the bright blue on the eye stalks which are entirely orange, apart from a little blue on the corneas.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Calcinus morgani is found in the tropical and subtropical Indo-Pacific region, its range extending from Madagascar to western, northern and eastern Australia, the Philippines, Indonesia and other western Pacific island groups.^[3] It is typically found in the intertidal zone of coral reefs and on rocky shores exposed to strong wave action. This is in contrast to C. gaimardii which prefers sheltered inlets and is found subtidally.^[2]

References