Color diversity of land hermit crabs in Karang Hawu Beach, Pelabuhan Ratu Bay, West Java

¹ Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, IPB University, 16680 Bogor, Indonesia
² Department of Aquatic Resources Management, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, IPB University, 16680 Bogor, Indonesia

^* Corresponding author: achamad@apps.ipb.ac.id

Abstract

Land hermit crabs (Coenobita spp.) are infraorder anomuran crustaceans that have an important role in coastal ecosystems, especially as decomposers and environmental bioindicators. One of the interesting phenotypic characteristics of land hermits is their diverse body colors. This study aims to reveal the diversity of body color of land hermits at Karang Hawu Beach, Pelabuhan Ratu Bay, West Java, and examine the relationship between body color and sex and body maturity level (juvenile and adult). Samples were collected using convenience sampling and analyzed using Fisher’s Exact Test in R Studio. Two species were successfully identified, namely Coenobita brevimanus and Coenobita rugosus, with 87 individuals. The results showed ten categories of body color, including new variations such as brownish, green-blue, and light purple-cream. However, no significant relationship was found between body color and sex or carapace length (p > 0.05). All color categories were found in the juvenile and adult, indicating that body color is not exclusive to a particular stage of development. Further research is recommended using a molecular approach and expanding the study area and number of species to understand better the mechanism of body color variation in land hermits