During a recent evening exploration of southern Okinawa, we stumbled upon a large cluster of terrestrial hermit crabs heavily infested with hitchhiking mites; this was the first time we had witnessed such an infestation on wild hermit crabs.
This is an example of phoresy, a biological interaction where one organism uses another for transportation. These mites possibly function as symbiotic cleaners, feeding on debris, fungi and algae.
Take a closer look! You can see tiny mites clustered along the gastropod’s siphon canal, suture line, ridges, and sharp spines.
We’ve been to this location three times and still haven’t seen a hermit crab living in plastic. The reason is simple: the coastline still has plenty of empty, natural shells available.
If you are a beachcomber, please consider leaving some shells for the hermit crabs. Hermit crabs are not born with shells. They depend on discarded seashells for survival. ” No Shell No Life “
It is illegal to collect hermit crabs from the wild on Okinawa. All terrestrial hermit crabs of the Ryukyu Islands are a living national treasure of Japan.
Mission: Protect and preserve the wildlife of the Ryukyu Islands fro future generations.
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