Family DIOGENIDAE Ortmann, 1892

<em>Dardanus setifer</em> [from Alcock 1905: pl. 8 fig. 3]

Dardanus setifer [from Alcock 1905: pl. 8 fig. 3]

<em>Clibanarius padavensis</em> [from de Man 1888: pl. 16 fig. 1]

Clibanarius padavensis [from de Man 1888: pl. 16 fig. 1]

Museums

Museum list

Regional Maps

Family DIOGENIDAE Ortmann, 1892

Diogeninae Ortmann, A.E. 1892. Die Decapoden-Krebse des Strassburger Museums, mit besonderer Berücksichtigung der von Herrn Dr. Döderlein bei Japan und bei den Liu-Kiu-Inseln gesammelten und zur Zeit im Strassburger Museum auf bewahrten Formen. IV Theil. Die Abtheilungen Galatheidea und Paguridea. Zoologische Jahrbücher. Abteilung für Systematik, Ökologie und Geographie der Tiere 6(2): 241-325 pls 11, 12 [270].
Type genus:
Diogenes Dana, 1851.
Dardaninae Schmitt, W.L. 1926. The Macruran, Anomuran and Stomatopod crustaceans collected by the American Museum Congo Expedition, 1909–1915. With field notes by Herbert Lang and James P. Chapin. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 53: 1-67, 9 pls [45] [no diagnosis or discussion provided].
Paguristinae Makarov, V.V. 1938. Crustacea, Anomura, Fauna SSSR. Zoologicheskii Institut Akademii Nauk SSSR ns 16 10(3): i-x, 1-324 [English translation (1962) Crustacea, Anomura. Fauna of USSR. Zool. Inst. Acad. Sci. U.S.S.R. n.ser. 16, 10(3): 1–283 pls 1–5] [157].
Calcinidae Fraaije, R.H., Van Bakel, B.W. & Jagt, J.W. 2017. A new paguroid from the type Maastrichtian (upper Cretaceous, the Netherlands) and erection of a new family. Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France 188: 17-20 [19] [subjective synonym].
Paguropsidae Fraaije, R.H.B., Van Bakel, B.W.M., Jagt, J.W.M., Charbonnier, S., Schweigert, G., Garcia, G. & Valentin, X. 2022. The evolution of hermit crabs (Crustacea, Decapoda, Anomura, Paguroidea) on the basis of carapace morphology: a state-of-the-art-report. Geodiversitas 44: 1-16 [12] [subjective synonym].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

Miyake, S. 1978. The Crustacea Anomura of Sagami Bay. Tokyo : Biological Laboratory Imperial Household 200 pp. [English], 161 pp. [Japanese], 4 pls. [14]

Introduction

Diogenid hermit crabs are most easily distinguished from pagurids by having the left cheliped larger than the right, or equal chelipeds. The family includes some of the largest hermit crabs known such as species of Dardanus and the deep-water Tisea grandis Morgan & Forest, 1991, with a carapace of 57 mm long but many species are very small, 2–4 mm long as adults. The family is most diverse throughout coral reefs and shallow water of the Indo-West Pacific with few Atlantic genera. Many diogenids are colourful and colour patterns are useful to distinguish species. Diogenidae, as currently composed is not a natural group as shown by phylogenetic analyses (Bracken et al. 2013; Tsang et al. 2011) although the pattern of non-monophyly is yet to be fully evaluated.

The Diogenidae is the second largest family of marine 'hermit crabs', with the Australian fauna currently (Jan 2025) including 101 species in 13 genera. Diogenids are some of the most colourful, large and conspicuous hermits, and are found in a wide range of habitats from intertidal mangrove swamps to coral reefs and deeper offshore waters.

A considerable amount of work has been done on this family over the last 20 years, and the following is a summary of the most important published papers relating to the Australian fauna: Forest (1984, 1995); Forest & McLaughlin (2000); Forest & Morgan (1991); Haig & Ball (1988); McLaughlin & Forest (1997); Morgan (1987a, 1987b, 1987c, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992); Morgan & Forest (1991); and Rahayu & Forest (1993, 1995). Forest (1995: 29) provided a key to genera.

Diagnosis

Pleonite 1 distinct from last thoracic somite. Left cheliped larger than right, or chelipeds subequal, or right cheliped larger than left (rare). Maxillipeds 3 adjacent at base. Pleopods 3–5 on left side only, or absent in male; pleopods 1 (sometimes 1 and 2) paired.