The Pacific red hermit crab, Elassochirus gilli, is conspicuously red or orange. This photo shows the crab in the shell of Fusitriton oregonensis. This hermit crab, family Paguridae, ranges from the Bering Sea to the Puget Sound, Washington; low intertidal to 250 m. They prefer bedrock substrate in areas of fast moving current.

Scientific name: Greek elach (small, mean, little) and chir (hand).

Digital photo by Jan Haaga. References (a complete list) in the text include: Jensen (1995), Williams et al. (1988), Barr (1983), or Hart (1982).

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