Paguristes cadenati

Identification: red body and antennae, long yellow to orange eyestalks, yellow-green corneas; smooth hairless legs and claws, the left claw slightly larger than the right. It measures about 3 cm (Quality Marine lists up to 3.8 cm). It resembles the orange-claw hermit (Calcinus tibicen), which is usually darker with white patches near the leg tips.

In the wild it lives on coral reefs of southern Florida, the West Indies, the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, from the intertidal zone down to about 80 m. It is a scavenger of animal and plant detritus. After settling, juveniles must find an empty shell of the right size, often from the genera Cerithium and Vasum.

Reproduction: the sexes are separate and breeding takes place all year; the orange eggs hatch into planktonic larvae that later settle on the bottom. No source consulted describes captive breeding.

Status: the species has not been evaluated by the IUCN and is not listed by CITES.