Paguristes karenae
Collected from the Tampa Bay coast and introduced in a group of nine, this left-handed hermit crab scavenges algae and organic matter across the Marine Shore and Seagrass Meadow, carrying a borrowed gastropod shell as it forages.
Nine Hairy Hermit Crabs (Paguristes karenae) were collected from the Tampa Bay coast and introduced to miniBIOTA's Marine Shore and Seagrass Meadow on June 12, 2026. The largest single hermit crab introduction in miniBIOTA to date, this group substantially expands the marine hermit crab community alongside Long-claw Hermit Crabs, McLaughlin's Hermit Crabs, and Orangeclaw Hermit Crabs already present in the saltwater realm.
Family note: Paguristes karenae belongs to family Diogenidae, the left-handed hermit crabs. In Diogenidae, the left cheliped (claw) is enlarged, the opposite of Paguridae (right-handed hermit crabs such as Pagurus and Calcinus species). This handedness difference affects how the crab blocks its shell entrance and may influence which shell openings it prefers. The other marine hermit crab species in miniBIOTA, McLaughlin's Hermit Crab and Long-claw Hermit Crab, belong to family Paguridae (right-handed). Orangeclaw Hermit Crab (Calcinus tibicen) also belongs to Diogenidae.
Paguristes karenae is native to shallow marine habitats in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, including the Gulf of Mexico and Florida's coastal waters. It is associated with hard and mixed substrate coastal environments, from intertidal and shallow subtidal zones through deeper shelf habitats. In Florida, Paguristes species are found in rocky, rubble, and shell-hash coastal environments as well as sandy nearshore habitats.
Hairy Hermit Crabs inhabit shallow coastal marine environments, foraging across sandy substrate, shell hash, rubble, and associated seagrass beds. Like all hermit crabs, they require empty gastropod shells for shelter. The group introduced to miniBIOTA was collected from the Tampa Bay coast, consistent with their documented range and habitat.
Paguristes hermit crabs are omnivorous scavengers. They graze algae and biofilm from substrate and hard surfaces, process detritus, and scavenge dead animal matter. Feeding is opportunistic and broadly similar across hermit crab species in the same size range.
As Diogenidae, Hairy Hermit Crabs carry a gastropod shell on their right side with the left cheliped enlarged for blocking the shell entrance when threatened. Shell selection and size requirements overlap with other hermit crab species in the Marine Shore and Seagrass Meadow. The empty shells introduced alongside the crabs on June 12, 2026 were intended to support the expanded hermit crab population.
As with other Diogenidae, females brood eggs attached to the pleopods beneath the shell until hatching. Larvae pass through pelagic stages before settling and acquiring a first shell. No reproductive observations have been made in miniBIOTA.
Paguristes karenae requires full to near-full marine salinity, consistent with a shallow coastal marine lifestyle. No specific tolerance measurements have been taken for miniBIOTA conditions.
Hairy Hermit Crabs function as marine scavengers and algae grazers, moving across the Marine Shore and Seagrass Meadow substrate and processing algae, detritus, and dead animal matter. As Diogenidae (left-handed), they contribute differently to shell dynamics than the right-handed Pagurus species: their preferred shell orientations and entrance sizes may differ, reducing direct shell competition with McLaughlin's and Long-claw Hermit Crabs, though this has not been confirmed in miniBIOTA.
Nine individuals substantially expand the marine scavenger and cleaner layer compared to the small and uncertain pre-existing hermit crab population.
Nine Hairy Hermit Crabs were collected from the Tampa Bay coast and introduced to miniBIOTA's Marine Shore and Seagrass Meadow on June 12, 2026.
Nine individuals collected and introduced June 12, 2026. On June 25, 2026, eight of nine Hairy Hermit Crabs were no longer observed; numerous empty shells found at the Mud Crab burrow entrance; mud crab predation strongly suspected. At least one individual confirmed alive later the same day. Mud crab removal campaign completed June 25: 5 removed, including the large individual (placed in external holding tank). Predation not directly confirmed. Restocking of additional Hairy Hermit Crabs planned for July 3, 2026.
Omnivorous scavenger consistent with Diogenidae family biology. No specific feeding observations in miniBIOTA yet.
Full marine coastal species. Requires marine salinity. Specific tolerance ranges for miniBIOTA conditions not yet documented.
No reproductive observations on record in miniBIOTA.
Left-handed Diogenidae; may show different shell preferences than right-handed Paguridae species in the same habitat. No interactions documented yet in miniBIOTA.
Follow this species across the habitats where it currently appears in the miniBIOTA biosphere.
