ABSTRACT

A Premliminary Comparison of Pagurus samuelis (decapoda: anomura) Populations from North and South Monterey Bay, California
April D. Sjoboen, Southern Adventist University and Stephen G. Dunbar, Loma Linda University

Morphometrics, including shield length, wet weight, sex, shell species and shell weight, were collected on Pagurus samuelis collected at Monterey Bay, California in July 2003. Empty gastropod shells and individuals of each snail species were counted at each site to give a profile of relative abundances for those shells potentially available to hermit crab populations.

Although the ranges of hermit crab sizes and body wet weights were approximately equal over both sites, there was a significant difference in the mean size of hermit crabs between sites. Santa Cruz males constituted the largest crabs but did not outnumber the females, at Carmel males were both the largest crabs found and more numerous than all females combined.

The range of shell species used by P. samuelis was outside the range of snail species collected, suggesting that shells are being brought into local populations of hermit crabs by either inshore wave action or immigrant individuals.