Petrochirus diogenes | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Subphylum: | Crustacea |
Class: | Malacostraca |
Order: | Decapoda |
Superfamily: | Paguroidea |
Family: | Diogenidae |
Genus: | Petrochirus |
Species: | P. diogenes |
Binomial name | |
Petrochirus diogenes (Linnaeus, 1758) |
Petrochirus diogenes is a giant marine hermit crab. This species lives in the Caribbean Sea, and often inhabits conch shells. This species of hermit crab is large enough that it can inhabit a fully grown shell of Lobatus gigas. It will attack and eat a conch, thus obtaining a meal and a shell. It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus as Cancer diogenes; the specific epithet honours Diogenes of Sinope.