Shore life · La Saladita, Guerrero

Ecuadorian Hermit Crab

Coenobita compressus

Spanish: Cangrejo ermitaño del Pacífico

Ecuadorian Hermit Crab (Coenobita compressus)
Photographed by ayotzintli on iNaturalist · CC-BY-NC

The Ecuadorian hermit crab (Coenobita compressus) also known as the Pacific hermit crab is a species of land hermit crab. It is one of the two land hermit crabs commonly sold in North America as a pet, the other being the Caribbean hermit crab (Coenobita clypeatus).

TaxonomyMalacostraca › Decapoda › Coenobitidae
Local records76 research-grade observations within about 50 km of La Saladita (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones)
Global records8,132 on iNaturalist
Most recent records2026 – 2026
Months of the 8 most recent records
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Recent local sightings

Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Shore life guide iNaturalist Wikipedia

Cite as: “Ecuadorian Hermit Crab (Coenobita compressus) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/coenobita-compressus/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.