HCA: Hermit Crab Association

ok.. here's what i've compiled from my observations as well as some other ppl's from this forum so far... anyone care to add anything? or have i pretty much nailed it on the head?..



it would be a good idea to look at this pic i compiled while reading the certain details below..
MY SPECIES COMPARISON PIC:
http://foreverpurple.com/images/species.jpg



C. rugosus: (rugs, ruggies)
1) they can come in pink, dark pink, maroon, black, white, gray and tan as their main body colors.... and their tinting can be blue, green, purple, or yellow....... my crab Jin had really pretty coloring.... (deep dark red with the back left walking leg's last 2 joints being gray)
2) the back left walking leg is unusually flat (by that i mean the top & bottom sections of the last 2 joints are flat... sword-like almost.. other species they have 'rounder' legs) and the last 2 joints are usually a different color than the body (ie gray)..
3) white spots on claws... & also a really faded (depending on color) stripe goin across it..
4) eye stalks r NOT as fat as E's (stalks r more parallel)
5) Has noticeable stridulatory ridges on front left claw... (looks like stitches/dashes)
6) depending on coloring.. u may see a weird markings on their backs...
7) big claw is small and flat but NOT as small as straws
8 ) Black diagnol (/) stripe behind the bases of the outer antennae's (on the sides of the body.. harder to see on darker rugosus'.... E's have this mark also!)
9) IMO they generally like turbo's
http://www.mrspoppypuff.com/exotics/rugosus.htm
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... s+crab.jpg


C. compressus: (E's, Ecuadorians) (i haven't observed any of em aside from pics since i don't own any)
1) can come in gray, tan, blue, or orangish (if fed lots of carotene..)
2) the back left walking leg is normal & NOT unusually flat..
3) big, fat, flared out eye stalks.. looks kinda like this " ()> " [w/ the () being eyes and the < being the stalks]
4) tips of legs usually are orange, red and/or brown.. (rugs usually have gray-ish/tan tips!)
5) has the same kinda black stripe (/) behind the bases of the outer antennae's on the sides that rug's have!!
6) has very small and not very noticeable stridulatory ridges.. (looks more like dots that dashes)
7) likes shells with D-shape openings (i.e. shark eyes)
http://www.geocities.com/tonycoenobita/new_page_13.htm
http://www.hermitat.com/


C. brevimanus: (Indo's)
1) Looks like a PP but NOT
2) black perfect cylinder eye stalks with perfect circular pupils
3) only comes in some shade of purple or violet etc.
4) base of the 2 outer antennae's are real THICK! (compared to PP's) and tan/yellow/orange colored..
5) also.. 2 middle antennae's r unusually LONG!! (very long!)
6) and the left Claw is Gigantic and the body is like super armored... real thick etc. (little ones aren't super armored though)
7) does NOT have stridulatory ridges
8 ) IMO they generally like turbo's
http://www.mrspoppypuff.com/exotics/brevimanus.htm
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... C-076F.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... C-077F.jpg


C. cavipes: (cavs)
1) only comes in red, blue, brown, black & any combination of those colors (except for maybe black and red)..
2) the two middle antennae's r red except for the blacker crabs
3) VERY hairy and dark body compared to other species..
4) has a light colored stripe goin thru his big claw..
5) under the stripe is a dark colored circle that is completely smooth
6) also has white dots on claws.. but not the same kinda dots as rugosus or straws
7) has VERY DARK and almost PERFECTLY parallel eyestalks.. dark red stalks if the crab is red or light blue (real cool lookin!)
8 ) does NOT have stridulatory ridges (stitches) on their Big Pincher!
9) IMO they generally like babylonia's
http://www.mrspoppypuff.com/exotics/cavipes.htm
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... rofile.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... C-011F.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... C-027F.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... C-003F.jpg


C. perlatus: (straws/strawberries)
1) only comes in red, orange, and/or white
2) antennae's are bright orange
3) white dots/bumps ALL OVER
4) big claw is unusually small and flat (smallest i've seen of all species)
5) resembles C. rugosus a little bit in terms of overall body armoring (i think they're closely related)
6) has stridulatory ridges just like the E's... not very noticeable and small
7) IMO they generally like turbo's and king's crowns
http://www.mrspoppypuff.com/exotics/perlatus.htm
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... =Mars1.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... Heero2.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... se+up!.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... +crab!.jpg
http://f1.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/supert ... C-012F.jpg



A NOTE about EYES: a good analogy are that Indo's eyes are like a period... " . " PP's are like comma's " , "... and all others are like brackets or parenthesis " [] or () "....

Tom

Personally, I wouldn't use crab colors as a identification guide (other than for perlatus maybe). There's too much variation within species to make it a reliable identifier. 5 of my six rugosus are dark brownish colored. The other is younger fellow, with a lighter tan carapace. He almost looks like an E if not for the eyes.

[quote="SuPerTOm"]ok.. here's what i've compiled from my observations as well as some other ppl's from this forum so far... anyone care to add anything? or have i pretty much nailed it on the head?..

C. rugosus:
1) they come in deep reddish maroon like color...pink, black, white, gray.. my crab Jin had really pretty coloring.......... (deep dark red with the back left walking leg's last 2 joints being gray)...

I'd also say that Indos are NOT all purple or all lavendar. My Indos have dark brown bodies with purple BPs and legs.

Check the gallery in my sig.

Thanks for doing this Tom, it will help in the short and the long run!! I will have to print this out to take with me to the petstore! So I know what I am getting....

Tom, is this something you're going to post on the Internet? I think it will help a lot!

Laurie

Tom,

Thank you for compiling a detail description & photo for each species. This will be helpful in identifying the rugosas & cavipes. I hope with your descriptions I will be able to id my mstery crabs.

Ditto. None of my 10 (or is it 11? ) Indos are all 'one color'. They seem to be dark brownish grey save for the big pincer and back left walking leg, the exposed area are lilac.

VolcanoRob wrote:I'd also say that Indos are NOT all purple or all lavendar. My Indos have dark brown bodies with purple BPs and legs.

Check the gallery in my sig.

Tom, I apologize, I didn't mean to just point out a fault in your descriptions. THank you for getting all this written down for everyone

Ditto again, just want to point out the differences I've noted.

While we're on the subject of ID crabs. Here's a spreadsheet I've been working on for the past week. Yes, I was really bored.

It list the major physical differences between the different species available in the U.S. With it, one should be able to narrow an unknown crab down to one or two species. I purposely left off crab coloration as I feel there are too many variations even among same species to make color a useful species differentiator. I only used physical characteristics which I've observed to occur in most (all?) crabs of that species. Regarding the back walking leg, I have not been able to distinguish the 'flattened' leg between cavipes/rugosus, but I put it in as something to look out for. I also do not own any perlatus, so observations there are based on photos only. If anyone wants to 'donate' one in the name of research, I would be happy to take one .

<Spreadsheet removed. It's outdated anyhow. It's evolved into this 'flow-chart':>
http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ph ... c&start=32

Feel free to comment/make suggestions. This is by no means a final definative guide. I foreseen making changes as we learn more about the species.

Thanks to SuPerTOm for setting me straight regarding cavipes/rugosus.

Tham, I can't seem to access the spreadsheet. Can you email it to me maybe? Volcanorob@yahoo.com.

You can use my E pics, God knows I have hundreds of them!

How ares these?:

If it doesn't show or if you need E's closer feel free to use any pic on my website . I have 5 E's from tiny to large in blue, gray, orange, wine red/brown. I could post some more pics too.
Hey thanks for doing this! I was always suspicious if Fred is really a Red (which I thought at first) or if he is a rugosus. Well, after looking at Bass it's clear. They look alike, he is only a little more colorful . Thanks!!!

thamster.. yes i know crabs come in many different colors...

but i believe i have it nailed on what species "CAN" be what color... for example.. u don't see bright orange Indo's around... or dark red E's... or yellow cavipes'.. etc. etc...

ya know what i mean?

Tom