E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Wildlife of British Columbia

Pagurus samuelis (Stimpson, 1857)
Blue Band Hermit Crab
Family: Paguridae

Species account author: Josephine Hart.
Extracted from Crabs and their relatives of British Columbia.
Photo of species

© Aaron Baldwin  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #44886)

E-Fauna BC Static Map
Distribution of Pagurus samuelis in British Columbia
Details about map content are available here.

Species Information

Carapace: shield longer than broad. Eyestalk stout; cornea not dilated. Right cheliped shorter than walking legs; carpus and hand with numerous granules and lateral margins beaded; outline of hand semi-oval. Left cheliped smaller than right with ventral margin of merus cut into strong teeth. 1st and 2nd walking legs stout and setose; dactyl slightly shorter than propodus and with stout movable spines ventrally; claw strong and curved. Propodus and dactyl of left 2nd walking leg (3rd pereiopod) with spines and granules ventrally. This is also found in several other intertidal species and the function does not seem to be known. It may be useful for gripping rock faces.

Size

Shield length: male 8 mm.

Colour

Carapace mottled blue, brown and green or black with 5 opaque white stripes, the central 3 running from the rostrum to the posterior margin, the other 2 postero-laterally. Right cheliped with ischium olive green dorsally and blue ventrally; merus and carpus olive green with red granules; palm greenish brown with red and white-tipped granules; fingers blue to white with orange tips. Left cheliped similar but more orange on finger tips. 1st and 2nd walking legs olive green to brownish green with dark red striae and an irregular china blue band margined with a narrow red brown band; dactyl china blue with a thin red mid-lateral stripe on both faces and, on dorsal ridge, a patch of orange and of white terminally; claw dark. Eyestalk red brown and olive green with white band distally; cornea black with white flecks forming concentric circles. Antennal flagellum translucent red.

Habitat


High intertidal, often inhabiting black turban shells (Tegula funebralis) and sharing the same habitat as the living gastropods.

Distribution

Range

Nootka Sound (49°45’N, 126°50’W), British Columbia, to northwest Baja California, Mexico; high intertidal. Not Japan.
Distribution In British Columbia

Known only from Nootka Sound to Port Renfrew.

Status Information

Origin StatusProvincial StatusBC List
(Red Blue List)
COSEWIC
UnlistedUnlistedUnlistedUnlisted
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer--the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Additional Photo Sources

General References


Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2021. E-Fauna BC: Electronic Atlas of the Fauna of British Columbia [efauna.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2023-09-28 2:59:47 PM]
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