Gender

“Sexing land hermit crabs out of the shell is straightforward. Females have well-developed pleopods (the small legs) on on the left side of the abdomen, and a gonopore at the base of the second pair of walking legs. Pleopods are absent or at best vestigial (small) in males, and the coxae of the last pair of legs are, in most species, produced into stout, somewhat tubular structures (the legs have a wide, tubular look to them).”

(Alan Harvey, in email to Vanessa Pike-Russell)

Males and females differ only in the position of the gonopore

(Jones, S. and Morgan, G.J. (1994) )

The gonopores, or sexual openings, are very easy to see when your hermit crab's legs are extended out of the shell. There are several ways to do this. The safest is to lower the hermit crab into a transparent container and view them from beneath. Another way is to gently hold your hermit crab upside down and be patient while they extend themselves out of the shell past the second set of legs. Make sure that your land hermit crab doesn't slip out of its shell.

Female Coenobita variabilis displaying gonopores on second pair of legs

Photo by Vanessa Pike-Russell

 

Female Coenobita perlatus displaying gonopores

Photo by Mrspoppypuff

 

Male Coenobita perlatus displaying absence
of gonopores on second pair of legs

Photo by Mrspoppypuff

 

Female Coenobita clypeatus displaying gonopores

Photo by Daethian

 

[ Glossary ]

 

References:

Brodie, R.J. 1998. Movements of the terrestrial hermit crab, Coenobita clypeatus (Crustacea, Coenobitidae). Revista de Biologia Tropical 46 (Suppl. 4): 181–185.

DeWilde, P. A. W. J. 1973. On the ecology of Coenobita clypeatus in Curaçao. Stud. Fauna Curaçao Other Caribb. Isl.144:1–138.

Dunham, D. W., and S. L. Gilchrist. 1988. Behavior. Pp. 97-138 in Biology of the Land Crabs, W. W. Burggren and B. R. McMahon, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Fletcher, W.J., Brown, I.W., Fielder, D.R., and Obed, A. 1991b. Moulting and growth characteristics. Pp. 35–60 in: Brown, I.W., and Fielder, D.R. (eds), The coconut crab: aspects of Birgus latro biology and ecology in Vanuatu. Canberra, Aciar Monographs 8.

Fox, S. Hermit Crabs: A Complete Owners Pet. Barron Books Pub.

Helfman, G. S. 1973. Ecology and Behaviour of the Coconut Crab, Birgus latro (L). Masters thesis, University of Hawaii, Honolulu.

Hicks, J., H. Rumpff, and H. Yorkston. 1990. Christmas Crabs., Golden Earth Design and Printing, Singapore.

Gray, H. S. 1995. Christmas Island Naturally., Scott Four Colour Print, Perth, Western Australia. Pp. 11–145.

Harvey, A. Text from a personal email to Vanessa Pike-Russell from Alan Harvey regarding determining the gender of a land hermit crab. Shared with permission. For more information about Alan Harvey and his research, please visit the link below
http://www.bio.gasou.edu/bio-home/harvey/research.html

Jones, S. and Morgan, G.J. (1994) A Field Guide to Crustaceans of Australian Waters. Western Australian Museum. Chatswood, N.S.W. (Australia) : Reed Books, 1994. ISBN 0 7301 0403 6

Lowry, J.K. (1999 onwards). 'Crustacea, the Higher Taxa: Description, Identification, and Information Retrieval.' Version: 2 October 1999. http://crustacea.net/

Page, H.M., and Willason, 1982. Distribution Patterns of terrestrial hermit crabs at Enewetak Atoll, Marshall Islands. Pacific Sci. 36:107-117

Wolcott, T. G. 1988. Ecology. Pp. 55-96 in: Biology of Land Crabs (W. Burggren and B. McMahon, Eds.), Cambridge University Press, New York.

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