Conservationists have for the first time sighted concave land hermit crabs (Coenobita cavipes) in the windbreak forest portion of Taijiang National Park in Tainan.
The crab is found throughout the Asia-Pacific region and makes its home in the discarded shells of giant African land snails — an invasive species that is commonly found throughout the nation.
The crab is omnivorous, feeding mostly on fruits and grains, and is not commonly sighted outside of the breeding season.
Photo: courtesy of Chang Yuan-mou
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Yunlin-Chiayi Joint Services Center is working to protect the crabs living in the forest, the center said, adding that efforts are being led by Chang Yuan-mou (張原謀), head of National Tainan University’s Department of Ecoscience and Ecotechnology.
The sighting marks the only time the crab has been seen in the national park, Chang said.
National Taiwan University doctoral student Hsu Chia-hsuan (許嘉軒), whose research focuses on land hermit crabs, said the species is sighted sporadically throughout Kaohsiung’s Takao Hill (柴山).
Researchers believed the crab was the same species as the purple variant (Coenobita violascens), but the categorization was disproved in a study last year, Hsu said.
National Cheng Kung University professor Chiu Yu-wen (邱郁文) said that when he had previously conducted research in the park, he only found the purple variety.
The concave land hermit crab seems to be a new addition to the park’s species list, he said, adding that they are still more commonly found in Takao Hill and near the Sihchong River (四重溪).
However, the discovery adds to the national park’s significance as an ecologically diverse environment, Chiu said.
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