Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Aniculus elegans
cangrejo ermitaño, ermitaño elegante, Elegant hermit crab
Caparace width to 0.9 cm.
Intertidal to subtidal, between remains and rocks.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Malacostraca
Order
Decapoda
Suborder
Pleocyemata
Superfamily
Paguroidea
Family
Diogenidae
Genus
Aniculus
Species
elegans
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Aniculus longitarsis Streets, 1871 (junior synonym), fide Appeltans et al. (2010)
Origin: Native
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Gulf to California to Ecuador (Galapagos Islands), within the Galapagos archipelago only known from the Western Bioregion.
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- Banks, S. Vera, M. & Chiriboga, A. (2009) Establishing Reference Points to Assess Long-Term Change in Zooxanthellate Coral Communities of the Northern Galapagos Coral Reefs. J. Sci. Conserv. in the Galapagos Islands, p. 43-64.
- Constant, P. (2007) Marine Life of the Galapagos. The Diver's guide to Fishes, Whales, Dolphins and marine Invertebrates, 307 pp.
- Edgar, G.J. Fariña, J.M., Calvopiña, M., Martínez, C. & Banks, S. (2002) Comunidades submareales rocosas II: Peces y macroinvertebrados móviles. In: Danulat, E. & Edgar, G.J. (eds.) (2002): Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, p. 68-97.
- Hickman, C.P. Jr. Zimmerman, T.L. (2000) A Field Guide to Crustaceans of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 156 pp.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Aniculus elegans", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7955. Accessed 1 April 2026.