Petrochirus diogenes

The giant hermit crab^[1] (Petrochirus diogenes) is a species of marine hermit crab. This species lives in the Caribbean Sea, and often inhabits conch shells.^[2] This species of hermit crab is large enough that it can inhabit a fully grown shell of the queen conch. It will attack and eat a conch, thus obtaining a meal and a shell.^[3] It was originally described by Carl Linnaeus as Cancer diogenes;^[4] the specific epithet honours Diogenes of Sinope.^[5]

Petrochirus diogenes in a subadult shell of a queen conch.

Petrochirus diogenes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Malacostraca
Order:	Decapoda
Suborder:	Pleocyemata
Infraorder:	Anomura
Family:	Diogenidae
Genus:	Petrochirus
Species:	P. diogenes
Binomial name
Petrochirus diogenes (Linnaeus, 1758)