Calcinus laevimanus
| Common Names: | Zebra Hermit Crab Hawaiian Zebra Hermit Crab Left Handed Hermit Crab |
| Salinity: | Marine |
| Distribution: | These hermits are found over a large area in the Indo-Pacific. They can be seen in intertidal zones from Africa to Australia to Hawaii, and even north to Japan. |
| Care: | Care is very simple. Provided that they are not exposed to copper or fluctuating or poor water conditions, they have little trouble surviving in aquariums. It is imperative that additional shells of varying sizes are provided for the hermits, since they will need to move to new homes as they grow. If there are no suitable extra shells available, the crabs often end up killing snails or other hermits for their shells. |
| Feeding: | These hermits are willing to both scavenge for food and consume algae. They are happy to eat leftover food not consumed by tankmates, though sinking pellets are a good way to ensure that they get enough to eat. Zebra hermits are decent algae grazers, and will eat many types of green and brown algae. |
| Temperature: |
|
| Potential Size: | Male: 3.5cm (1.4") Female: 3.5cm (1.4") |
| Comments: | This species of hermit is relatively popular because of its coloration, especially the orange and sky-blue eyestalks. Calcinus laevimanus gets its common name from the black and white pincers, and the white bands on the otherwise darker legs. However, this species is very often confused with another hermit which deserves the "zebra" label more, Calcinus seurati. C. seurati is frequently sold as C. laevimanus, though this does not matter as far as care is concerned. The two species can be differentiated by the obvious black and white leg banding of C. seurati, and its uniformly cream-colored pincer claws. The zebra hermit will use its enlarged front claw to block the entrance to its shell after the crab has withdrawn inside. |
| Image Credit: | sirbooks |
| Submitted By: | sirbooks |
| Contributors: | sirbooks |
| History: | View changes to this profile |
| Edit Profile: |