Cone Shell Hermit Crab
Ciliopagurus strigatus
- Usual depth3–14 m
- Water temperature23–30 °C
- Best monthsJuly, August, and September
- How commonRare
Photo credit: (c) Jay Paroline, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
The Halloween hermit crab, also known as the striped hermit crab or orange-legged hermit crab, is a brightly colored species of aquatic hermit crab in the family Diogenidae. Besides its ability to routinely clean algae in aquaria, the Halloween hermit crab's festive striped coloration also appeals to enthusiasts; it is considered the most brightly colored hermit crab in normal aquarium use.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Halloween hermit crab”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 26 records
- February: 37 records
- March: 18 records
- April: 33 records
- May: 37 records
- June: 24 records
- July: 40 records
- August: 47 records
- September: 52 records
- October: 37 records
- November: 38 records
- December: 25 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 3–14 m · Deepest record: 15 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 23–30 °C
Photos
(c) Nicola Crockford, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Robin White, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Borja Fierro-Leva, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Robin White, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Daniel Eisenhauer, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Nicola Crockford, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Cone Shell Hermit Crab, Halloween Hermit Crab, Striated Hermit Crab
Names in 4 more languages
- French
- Bernard-l'ermite à chaussettes annelées, Pagure strié
- Japanese
- ベニワモンヤドカリ
- Korean
- 분홍고리무늬집게
- Simplified Chinese
- 溝紋纖毛寄居蟹, 溝紋銼指寄居蟹
Other scientific names: Aniculus strigatus, Cancer strigatus, Pagurus annulipes, Pagurus strigatus, Trizopagurus strigatus
Similar species
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 175 open-data records from 1804 to 2022.
- Species data updated November 1, 2026.
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