First evidence of a population of hermit crab Diogenes curvimanus (Clément, 1874) (Decapoda, Anomura, Diogenidae) on the Canary Islands

Abstract

We report here for the first time the occurrence of the diogenid hermit crab species Diogenes curvimanus from the Canary Islands, which has been recorded previously from Atlantic European waters and the Mediterranean Sea. The species had been placed under the synonymy of D. pugilator until recently, and is the sole representative of Diogenes known from the islands. The specimens studied were observed between 2019 and 2023, suggesting that these could have recently settled into local habitats and developed a population capable of reproducing.