Abstract
The mechanisms underlying the pattern of shell occupation by two sympatric species of hermit crabs in Jamaica were studied. Individuals of Calcinus tibicen and Pagurus marshi occupy a similar array of shells but C. tibicen‐occupied shells were covered by a purple‐colored coralline alga while P. marshi‐occupied shells were covered by a filamentous red alga and entrapped whitish detritus. Laboratory choice experiments indicated that crabs did not select backgrounds by color and crabs did not show a preference for type of epibiont(s) on shells. Mark‐recapture studies in the field indicated a very limited extent of daily movement in both species and active orientation to “home” sites by individuals of P. marshi.
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