Pagurus samuelis

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title: "Pagurus samuelis" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["hermit-crabs", "crustaceans-of-the-eastern-pacific-ocean", "crustaceans-described-in-1857"] description: "Species of crustacean" topic_path: "general/hermit-crabs" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pagurus_samuelis" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Species of crustacean ::

| image = Blue-banded Hermit Crab.jpg | image_caption = Pagurus samuelis using a shell of Tegula brunnea | taxon = Pagurus samuelis | authority = (Stimpson, 1857) | synonyms = Eupagurus samuelis Stimpson, 1857 | synonyms_ref =

Pagurus samuelis, the blueband hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab from the west coast of North America, and the most common hermit crab in California. It is a small species, with distinctive blue bands on its legs. It prefers to live in the shell of the black turban snail, and is a nocturnal scavenger of algae and carrion.

Description

Pagurus samuelis is a small hermit crab, at up to a total length of 40 mm and a carapace width of up to 19 mm. The base colour of the exoskeleton is brown or green, but the antennae are red, and adults have bright blue bands near the tips of their legs. In smaller individuals, the bands may be white. The legs and carapace are covered in setae, and the rostrum at the front of the carapace is triangular. Pagurus samuelis-Tegula eiseni.jpg|In a shell of Tegula eiseni Pagurus samuelis-Tegula gallina.jpg|In a shell of Tegula gallina

Distribution

Pagurus samuelis is found from Alaska to Punta Eugenia in Baja California, Mexico. It was formerly thought to also occur in Japan, but the Japanese specimens which were formerly assigned to this species are now recognised as Pagurus filholi.

Ecology and life cycle

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Hermit_crabs_scavenge_at_Gumboot_chiton_2.jpg" caption="nocturnal]] [[scavenger]]s that feed on [[algae]], especially the giant kelp ''[[Macrocystis pyrifera]]'', and [[detritus]]. In a laboratory setting, ''P. samuelis'' can survive on a diet of ''[[Pelvetia canaliculata]]''. [[Predator]]s of ''P. samuelis'' include fishes such as the pile perch (''[[Rhacochilus vacca]]''), [[California sheephead]] (''Semicossyphus pulcher'') and the spotted kelpfish, ''[[Gibbonsia elegans]]''."] ::

In the breeding season, males carry females on their backs, sometimes for more than a day. Eggs are produced from May to July, and are carried on the female's abdomen, inside the shell.

References

References

1. Patsy McLaughlin. (2010). "''Pagurus samuelis'' (Stimpson, 1857)". [[World Register of Marine Species]].
2. Edward Flanders Ricketts, Jack Calvin & Joel Walker Hedgpeth. (1992). "[[Between Pacific Tides]]". [[Stanford University Press]].
3. Patsy A. McLaughlin. (1976). "A new Japanese hermit crab (Decapoda, Paguridae) resembling ''Pagurus samuelis'' (Stimpson)". [[Crustaceana]].
4. L. Sandberg & P. A. McLaughlin. (1993). "Reexamination of ''Pagurus minutus'' Hess, 1865, and ''Pagurus filholi'' (de Man, 1887) (Crustacea: Anomura: Paguridae)". [[Zoologische Mededelingen]].
5. "''Pagurus samuelis'' – blueband hermit crab". [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::