About Calcinus latens (J.W.Randall, 1840)
Calcinus latens is a small hermit crab. Its occupied shells are 2 to 7 mm (0.08 to 0.28 in) in length. This species is distinguished by olive green bodies, dark-tipped legs, and claws of differing sizes where the left claw is larger than the right. Calcinus latens shows significant sexual dimorphism: males and intersex individuals are typically larger than females. Due to the low visibility found in reef ecosystems, C. latens depends on chemosensory structures to explore, defend itself, and hide in its environment. Even with these chemosensory abilities, C. latens frequently loses shell competition to another congeneric species, Calcinus laevimanus. Calcinus latens is a common hermit crab distributed across the tropical Indo-Pacific region, including Australia, Japan, the eastern coast of Africa, and Hawai'i. It lives on coral reefs, hiding under rocks and rubble in intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, at depths up to 5 m (16 ft).
