Category: Crabs and Shrimp view all from this category

Description Pagurus samuelis, the blueband hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab from the west coast of North America, and the most common hermit crab in California. It is a small species, with distinctive blue bands on its legs. It prefers to live in the shell of the black turban snail, and is a nocturnal scavenger of algae and carrion.

Pagurus samuelis is a small hermit crab, at up to a total length of 40 mm (1.6 in) and a carapace width of up to 19 mm (0.75 in). The base colour of the exoskeleton is brown or green, but the antennae are red, and adults have bright blue bands near the tips of their legs. In smaller individuals, the bands may be white. The legs and carapace are covered in setae, and the rostrum at the front of the carapace is triangular.

Habitat Rocks, Tidepools.

Range Northwest, California, Alaska, Western Canada.