hermit crab ID

[Shawn O]

I bought a trio of what was supposed to be Blue legs the other day but one of them looked different than the other two. A Blue leg has white tips on it's legs, this particular crab has the white at the first knuckle, sort of like a Dwarf Zebra. The thing that makes me think it's not a Dwarf Zebra is that the claws are different. I have one large and one very small zebra and the claws are the same size and shape, respective to the crab's size. Also, the zebra is left-handed, this new crab is right-handed. The only other thing I can make out, and it's tough since this crab is tiny, it that when it changed shells it's back was brown and green, striped length-wise.

Anyone care to hazard a guess? I'd post a pic but my cell phone takes lousy pics and this crab is very tiny.

 

[Noah 123]

Clibinarius longitarsus??

I have no idea.

 

[Shawn O]

Nah, not a blue stripe. It has a white knuckle, closest to the tips. I'll keep googling for photos of shell changing, I guess. I really need to buy another camera that does good macros.

 

[Noah 123]

Band eye hermit? They're super rare.

 

[Shawn O]

Do you have a species name for it? I can't find a pic via google for Band Eye Hermit.

Maybe I should be looking for the same features I noticed on this guy on known species to compare. I'll try to get a good look at my other hermits' backs when they change shells.

 

[Noah 123]

Blue spotted hermit crab, dardanus guttatus?

 

[Shawn O]

Nope, seems to be black with white bands at the first leg joint, similar to a dwarf zebra but claws are equal size.

 

[Shawn O]

I think I've figured it out. It appears that the small crab was a juvenile Thin-stripe (Clibanarius vittatus). Apparently, the green stripes on their legs are non-existent or too thin to see when very small. One of the thin-stripes in my tank leaned pretty far out of it's shell this morning and his back had the same stripes on it. Mystery solved.
The crab must have come into the lfs mixed in with a blue leg order as they don't normally stock this crab.