Miner Hermit Crab

Cancellus typus

Systematics: Anomura Family Diogenidae

Distinguishing Characters:
The claws of this hermit crab are similar in size and perfectly fit the circular opening of the hermit's cavity, which in this case is a hollowed rock

Habitat and Distribution:
The miner hermit crab may be found under large stones intertidally and also occurs deeper on rocky shores across southern Australia.

General Biology:
This, perhaps the most unusual of all southern Australian hermit crabs, choses to make its home in a hollowed rock rather than a snail shell. The animal would seem not strong enough to move the rock, sometimes 10 centimetres long, but when kept in aquaria over-night their ability to drag it about has been demonstrated. It is not certain whether or not the hermit crab can make its own hole and it seems more likely that the crab enlarges a tube made by a burrowing mollusc.

Feedback and queries should be sent to the Discovery Centre at Museum Victoria.
Please note, the Discovery Centre can help you only with questions about crustaceans from southeastern Australia. It can not advise on the care of pet hermit crabs or on crustaceans from other regions.