Porcellanopagurus edwardsi facts for kids

Porcellanopagurus edwardsi is a special kind of hermit crab. It lives in the cool waters around New Zealand. You can also find it near New Zealand's subantarctic islands.

Where This Hermit Crab Lives

Porcellanopagurus edwardsi makes its home in several places. It is found around the Auckland Islands and the Campbell Islands. You can also spot it near the Snares Islands. Another place it lives is around Stewart Island. It also lives along the coast of New Zealand's South Island.

A crab that looks very similar, called P. filholi, lives more to the north. These two species only live in the same area near the Banks Peninsula.

About Its Name

Porcellanopagurus edwardsi was first described in 1885. A scientist named Henri Filhol gave it its name. At first, it was the only species in its group, called Porcellanopagurus. Since then, 12 more species have been discovered in this group.

How This Crab Looks

Porcellanopagurus edwardsi is different from most hermit crabs. Most hermit crabs are not perfectly even on both sides. But this one is almost symmetrical, meaning both sides look very similar.

Its belly, called the abdomen, bends back over its main body. This means its special swimming legs, called pleopods, are on its back. The abdomen is also "grossly distorted," which means it's very oddly shaped.

Most hermit crabs use empty gastropod shells (snail shells) to protect their soft bellies. But this unique crab usually covers its belly with the shell of a bivalve (like a clam) or a limpet.

The front part of its body, called the cephalothorax, is quite flat. It also has several parts that stick out, like flaps. The biggest of these is the rostrum. This is a pointy part at the very front of the crab's head.