The effects of history on the shell preference of the hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus (Say)

Abstract

Two aspects of the effects of history on the preference of a hermit crab for a snail shell were investigated using male Pagurus longicarpus (Say): (1) does a shell's history influence a hermit crab's preference for that shell, and (2) does a hermit crab's shell utilization history influence its future shell preference? First, tests of the same Pagurus longicarpus individuals were done in Ilyanassa obsoleta (Say) shells of two treatments (beach-collected and freshly killed). These tests indicated that shell history is of little consequence to shell preference in this hermit crab species. Secondly Pagurus longicarpus individuals were entrained to shells of particular snail species by enforced utilization. Preference tests with these individuals yielded results similar to those from non-entrained crabs, indicating that, in this hermit crab species, shell preference is not affected by shell use and is an endogenous characteristic.