Jeweled anemone hermit

Dardanus gemmatus

Crustaceans
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth15–93 m
Water temperature21–29 °C
Best monthsMay, October, and November
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

Dardanus gemmatus, the jeweled anemone hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab native to tropical reefs surrounding the Indo-Pacific, typically at depths of 2–100 metres (10–330 ft).

Text from the Wikipedia article “Dardanus gemmatus”, 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: 25 records
February: 30 records
March: 25 records
April: 43 records
May: 60 records
June: 32 records
July: 27 records
August: 26 records
September: 52 records
October: 65 records
November: 60 records
December: 39 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 15–93 m · Deepest record: 92.5 m

10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 1 records
30–40 m: 1 records
40–50 m: 0 records
50–60 m: 0 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 2 records
80–90 m: 1 records
90–100 m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 21–29 °C

20–22 °C: 3 records
22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 7 records
26–28 °C: 5 records
28–30 °C: 16 records

Photos

no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) 林正文, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Robin White, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
(c) Jay Paroline, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist
(c) Robin White, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist

Names and classification

English: Jeweled anemone hermit, jeweled anemone hermit, Jeweled Anemone Hermit Crab

Names in 3 more languages

French: Pagure orné
Japanese: サメハダヤドカリ
Simplified Chinese: 珠粒真寄居蟹

Other scientific names: Pagurus gemmatus

Similar species

Striated hermit crab
Dardanus arrosor
Mauve Eyed Hermit Crab
Dardanus crassimanus
Pale anemone hermit
Dardanus deformis
Black-eyed hermit crab
Dardanus lagopodes
Spotted hermit crab
Dardanus megistos
Anemone hermit crab
Dardanus pedunculatus

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).
112 open-data records from 1848 to 2012.
Species data updated November 2, 2026.

Log what you see on your next dive

The free DiveHive diver app keeps your logbook with every sighting and shows what lives at the site you dive next.

Join the waitlist