Diogenes pugilator is a species that belongs to the subphylum of the crustaceans, in the order Decapoda, and the family Diogenidae. It is a species of hermit crab, and therefore a benthic species, found on sandy and occasionally rocky bottoms. It is always associated with rather shallow waters (up to 10 meters deep), although there are records of specimens up to 1,000 meters. As for the distribution of the waters in which we can find Diogenes pugilator, these cover the eastern Atlantic Ocean (from Angola to the North Sea), the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea and the Red Sea.
With a total length of no more than 2.5 cm, Diogenes pugilator has the classic body of hermit crabs, a body with a soft part (the abdomen) and another reinforced by a calcified outer shell. The abdomen, or soft part, is twisted and the specimen inserts it inside an empty snail shell (often Tritia reticulata). It can contract its entire body inside the shell in which it lives, which it will do if it feels threatened to protect itself against possible predators. The rostrum of Diogenes pugilator is rather short, with pink eye stalks at the ends of which the eyes are located. It has a pair of long antennae with numerous fine hairs. The body of Diogenes pugilator has asymmetrical pincers (called chelipeds), the one on the left side being much larger than the one on the right side. Both pincers have numerous short hairs. As for body coloration, the predominant color is light cream, very often with transverse bands on the legs and clamps of dark brown, reddish or even blue-green.
There is a clear sexual dimorphism between male and female in Diogenes pugilator. Males have narrower and more elongated pincers, with numerous granulations, while the pincers of females are more rounded.
Diogenes pugilator specimens move with relative ease and speed along the sandy bottoms, constantly looking for new shells in addition to food (small worms, crustaceans and algae). As the body grows, they take advantage of molting to change shells to one larger than the one they were previously carrying.
Reproduction occurs throughout the year, with two reproductive peaks, one in summer and one in winter. The females carry the eggs (very small in size and orange in color) under the abdomen and then release them into the sea to hatch planktonic larvae.
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