Shell selection behaviour and spatial distribution of three species of intertidal hermit crabs from Hormuz Island, Persian Gulf (Crustacea: Paguroidea)

Abstract

Shell selection behaviour and spatial distribution of three hermit crab species, Diogenes avarus, D. karwarensis, and Areopaguristes perspicax, were studied at six sites along the intertidal zones of Hormuz Island in the Persian Gulf. 1025 specimens were collected occupying altogether 31 shell species (D. avarus 28 species, A. perspicax 22 species, and D. karwarensis 8 species). Diogenes avarus was found to be by far the most abundant of these three crab species, and Cerithidea cingulata the dominant shell occupied by these hermit crabs. The distribution of the hermit crabs significantly varied (p<0.05) among the sites. The number and the wide diversity of shells occupied in different sites show that the main factor in shell selection for these hermit crabs is the abundance and distribution of shell species in the field.