Whitespotted hermit (Dardanus megistos)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, description from Wikipedia.
Last updated
Diego Delso · via Wikipedia: Dardanus megistos · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dardanus megistos, the white-spotted hermit crab or spotted hermit crab, is a species of hermit crab belonging to the family Diogenidae.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- CladePancrustacea
- ClassMalacostraca
- OrderDecapoda
- SuborderPleocyemata
- InfraorderAnomura
- FamilyDiogenidae
- GenusDardanus
- SpeciesDardanus megistos
Named by J. F. W. Herbst, 1804
Close relatives
Other species of Dardanus with a Codexery entry.
- Dardanus arrosor Dardanus arrosor
- Dardanus deformis Dardanus deformis
- Dardanus pedunculatus Dardanus pedunculatus
- Dardanus venosus Dardanus venosus
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Dardanus megistos (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 208700 (CC BY 4.0)
How big is it?
Largest length in the source, 0.2 m, next to a 1.8 m person.
Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Dardanus megistos
Where the whitespotted hermit (dardanus megistos) has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (1,587 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 68 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Arthropoda · Class: Malacostraca · Order: Decapoda · Family: Diogenidae · Genus: Dardanus.
Accepted name: Dardanus megistos · Authority: (Herbst, 1804) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 208700.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Cancer megistes Herbst, 1804; Cancer megistos Herbst, 1804; Dardanus jordani Schmitt, 1921; Dardanus megsitos (Herbst, 1804); Dardanus spinimanus (H. Milne Edwards, 1848); Pagurus megistos (Herbst, 1804); Pagurus punctulatus Olivier, 1812; Pagurus spinimanus H. Milne Edwards, 1848.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=208700 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Dardanus megistos. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 20 cm · Depth range: 0–50 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Vulnerability index: 46.2 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial.
SeaLifeBase notes: Maximum depth from Ref. 85195. Intertidal to 50 m (Ref. 85195). Also occurs from littoral and subtidal zones (Ref. 2884); associated with coral reef, reef flats, rocky platform, rubble, sand (Ref. 81753), seagrass bed and algal mat (Ref. 106227).
On coral heads in lagoons (Ref. 74671). Reported to feed on holothurians (Ref. 106232). Opportunistic omnivore (Ref. 100471).
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 21040) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Dardanus-megistos.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
1,587 georeferenced occurrence records for Dardanus megistos are published through GBIF from 48 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 353 distinct locations from a sample of 1,587 records, omitting 73 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: Australia (380); Indonesia (212); Philippines (148); New Caledonia (107); French Polynesia (62).
The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2224426) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2224426&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=208700 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
The genus name Dardanus refers to the son of Zeus and Electra in Greek mythology, while the species name megistos is the superlative of the Greek word mega, therefore it means the largest.
This species is present in the Indo-Pacific region from East Africa to the South China Sea, Australia and east to Hawaii.
These tropical reef-associated crabs occur in coral reef, lagoons, rocky platforms, sand and seagrass beds, from littoral and subtidal zones to deep waters, at depths up to 50 m.
Dardanus megistos can reach a body length of about 20 cm. These large crabs have a bright red body with small white eyespots surrounded by black. Their bodies are covered with long erect coarse hairs of a dark red color.
They have a pair of long white primary antennae or antennules, a pair of secondary antennae, stalked green brown eyes and three pairs of mouth appendages. The stalks of the eyes are reddish with a basal white spot. The soft, asymmetrical abdomen is spiral-shaped, useful in keeping in the shell, with a five-piece tail (telson and uropods).
Like all decapod crustaceans, they have ten legs. The first pair of legs carries the pincers ( chelipeds). The left plier is bigger than the right one.
The white-spotted hermit crabs are gonochorics, the eggs are carried on the female's abdomen. They also are opportunistic omnivore, mainly feeding on small invertebrates (worms, molluscs, etc.) and they are also reported to feed on holothurians. Commonly these crabs perform a precopulatory courtship ritual.
Usually the sperm transfer is indirect. They may live up to 30 years. These crustaceans usually inhabit a large shell of a gastropod, consequently only the cephalothorax and the first three pairs of legs are visible.
Source: Wikipedia: Dardanus megistos — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanus_megistos (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Related in Whitespotted hermit
Links follow this subject's own source article.
Elsewhere in Whitespotted hermit
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Dardanus megistos (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Biology values: SeaLifeBase species summary (CC BY-NC 3.0, non-commercial).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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