Pagurus pollicaris
| Pagurus pollicaris | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Decapoda |
| Suborder: | Pleocyemata |
| Infraorder: | Anomura |
| Family: | Paguridae |
| Genus: | Pagurus |
| Species: | P. pollicaris |
| Binomial name | |
| Pagurus pollicaris Say, 1817 | |
Pagurus pollicaris is a hermit crab commonly found along the Atlantic coast of North America from New Brunswick to the Gulf of Mexico. It is known by a number of common names, including gray hermit crab, flat-clawed hermit crab, flatclaw hermit crab, shield hermit crab, thumb-clawed hermit crab, broad-clawed hermit crab, and warty hermit crab.
P. pollicaris inhabits the shells of shark eye snails and whelks. It grows to a length of 31 millimetres (1.2 in) and a width of 25 mm (1.0 in). The shell is often shared by the commensal zebra flatworm (Stylochus ellipticus).
The diet of the flat-clawed hermit crab comprises organic matter, algae, and sometimes other hermit crabs. Fish are the most important predators of this species.