| Dardanus venosus | |
|---|---|
_Figure_2.jpg) | |
| Attacks ofDardanus venosus onAurantilaria aurantiaca | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Family: | Diogenidae |
| Genus: | Dardanus |
| Species: | D. venosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Dardanus venosus (H. Milne Edwards, 1848)[1] | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Dardanus venosus, thestarry-eyed crab orstareye crab, is aspecies ofhermit crab in thefamilyDiogenidae. It occurs in shallow water on the eastern coasts of America from Florida southward to Brazil. It is sometimes kept inreef aquaria.
Dardanus venosus grows to a length of 7 to 12 centimetres (2.8 to 4.7 in). As a hermit crab, it lives inside the empty shell of agastropodmollusc and its soft abdomen and most of its limbs are normally hidden with just the dactyls, or claws, projecting. Like other members of its family, it is left-handed, having its mainchela or pincers on the left front limb. It uses this to cover the aperture of the shell when it feels threatened. The dactyls are a mauve colour due to the clusters of small bluish bristles that cover them. The crab's common name refers to the fact that when seen at close quarters, its eyes resemble star-bursts, being green or blue with dark pupils.[2]
Dardanus venosus is found in Florida, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, the Antilles, Venezuela and Brazil from low tide mark down to about 40 metres (130 ft). It is found on varioussubstrates including rock, gravel, sand, mud, shell, coral and seaweed.[3]
Dardanus venosus is a scavenger and consumesdetritus and anything edible that it finds on the seabed.
The life cycle ofDardanus venosus has been little studied but the eggs are probably brooded attached to the female's abdomen. When the eggs hatch, the larvae are liberated into thewater column and pass through severalzoeal stages in theplankton before becoming glaucothoë larvae. These are relatively large and have elongatedtelsons, or rear segments, and characteristic hooks on the dactyls of the walking legs. After some time, the glaucothoë larvae settle out beforemetamorphosing into juveniles that needs to find shells in which to live.[4]
In a study off the coast of Brazil,Dardanus venosus was found occupying eleven different kinds of gastropod shell including three different species of turban snail, (Astraea sp).[3]
Dardanus venosus often has thesea anemoneCalliactis tricolor attached to its shell. It actively collects the anemone off a rock or removes it from an outgrown shell when it moves into a larger one. It loosens the grip of the anemone by giving it several taps near the base, causing it to relax. At first the anemone clings to the new shell with its tentacles until its base has a firm grip on the shell. This is amutualistic arrangement with both crab and anemone deriving benefit. The crab is protected by the stinging cells of the anemone and the anemone gains transport and a greater supply of food comes within its reach.[5]
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