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  Online Guide to Chek Jawa
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Hermit crabs of Chek Jawa
Suborder Anomura
click for enlarged image
Tidal hermit crab
Diogenes sp.

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Striped hermit crab
Clibanarius sp.

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Striped hermit crab
Clibanarius sp.

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Land hermit crab
Coenobita cavipes
Tidal hermit crab
Diogenes sp.
Family Diogenidae
These hermit crabs are smaller (1-1.5cm) and grey or brown. The left pincer is usually much larger than the right pincer.

Striped hermit crab
Clibanarius sp.
Family Diogenidae
These hermit crabs are larger (3-5cm) and bright orange, red or blue. Their pincers are more equal in size.

Land hermit crab
Coenobita cavipes
Family Coenobitidae
The Land hermit crab is large (3-6cm). It so well adapted to life out of water that it will drown if kept underwater! It has special gill chambers that act as lungs. These chambers are large and holds water to keep the gill filaments wet. The hermit crab only needs to occasionally dip in either rainwater or the sea to keep the chambers wet. The Land hermit crab is now considered rare on mainland Singapore.
quick facts
1-6cm, living in a variety of shells, common

Classification:
OrderDecapoda
Class Malacostraca
Subphylum Crustacea
Phylum Arthropoda
 
See also ...
Hermit crabs in general

Links
Hermit crabs and their allies on the Marine Crustaceans of Southern Australia page on the Museum Victoria website: an introduction including a section on their biology which has lots of labelled diagrams, and photos and fact sheets on some hermits of Southern Australia.

Other references
  • Tan, Leo W. H. & Ng, Peter K. L., 1988. A Guide to Seashore Life. The Singapore Science Centre, Singapore. 160 pp. online version
  • Lim, S., P. Ng, L. Tan, & W. Y. Chin, 1994. Rhythm of the Sea: The Life and Times of Labrador Beach. Division of Biology, School of Science, Nanyang Technological University & Department of Zoology, the National University of Singapore. 160 pp.
  • Ng, Peter K. L. & N. Sivasothi, 1999. A Guide to the Mangroves of Singapore II (Animal Diversity). Singapore Science Centre. 168 pp. online version of tidal hermit crabs and the land hermit crab
  • Chuang, S. H., 1961. On Malayan Shores. Muwu Shosa, Singapore.225 pp., plates 1-112.
  • Davey, Keith, 1998. A Photographic Guide to Seashore Life of Australia. New Holland, Australia.144 pp.

a companion website to the chek jawa guidebook
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