Katie Sandford, Taylor Jackson, Jenna Lesiewicz, Jess Fraccalvieri

Bio 320
Lab Activity: Crustaceans
Materials:
• Glass shell
• Horseshoe crab molt
• Live Crabs (Misc. species)
• Live Hermit Crabs
• Empty shells
• Empty shells with holes drilled
• Fastest hermit crab prizes
Lab Set-up:
• Collect crabs and hermit crabs prior to lab. Allow hermit crab time to
switch to glass shell.

Part 1: Hermit Crab Observations

1. Draw a picture of what a hermit crab looks like without a shell by
observing the hermit crab on display in the glass shell.

2. There are two types of hermit crab native to Long Island Sound. What are
their common names?
a.
3. What are the genus and species for both above hermit crabs?
a.
4. Draw a side-by-side drawing of these two species. Place their common
names below the drawings.
a.
5. Define Brachyura. Give an example of an animal found in the infraorder
brachyura.
a.
6. Define Anomura. Give an example of an animal found in the infraorder
anomura.
a.

Part 2: The New York Shell Exchange

 Collect the following items: live hermit crab, 1L plastic container filled
halfway with saltwater, an empty shell with a hole drilled into it, an
empty shell larger than your hermit crab, an empty shell smaller than
your hermit crab.

Place the 3 shells and the live hermit crab into the half filled 1L plastic
container. Observe the hermit crab for 10 minutes.

As a class fill out the following table using a one-zero sampling method.
In one-zero sampling a 1 indicates the behavior occurred and a zero
indicates that it did not occur.

Names of your Hermit Crab Hermit Crab Hermit Crab

group members chose shell with chose small chose bigger
hole shell shell
Example Group* 0 0 1

*The example group shows how to use one-zero sampling to indicate the
hermit crab picked a bigger shell. Do not use this line in data analysis.

1. What is the total sample size of hermit crabs?

2. What percentage of the hermit crabs chose larger shells?
3. What percentage of the hermit crabs chose smaller shells?
4. What percentage of the hermit crabs chose the shell with a hole?
5. Why might a hermit crab have a shell preference favoring or
disfavoring shells with holes drilled in it? How does this apply in wild
hermit crabs?

Part 3: Off to the Races

Place your hermit crab between two 12” rulers, place each ruler to make a right
angle with the floor. Have 2” between the rulers. This will create a raceway to
measure your hermit crab’s speed. Using a stopwatch/phone calculate your
hermit crabs speed in cm/sec. Be sure to convert your inches to centimeters.
Calculated speed in cm/sec:
 Your hermit crab’s name:

As a class, repeat the above methods at the same time. Line up the rulers to
make a hermit crab race track 12” in length, rulers’ side by side 2” apart. Place a
meter stick along the back of the starting line (so the hermit crabs cannot go
backwards). Each student should individually bet on which crab they think is
the fastest. Please give this list to professor O’Leary (predicted winning hermit
crab name/student name).
Students are allowed to look at each other’s initial calculated speed. Fill out the
below table. See who has the fastest hermit crab!
See professor O’Leary at the winner’s circle if the hermit crab you bet on wins
the race!
Part 4: Crab Dissection
For the final part of the lab, we will be dissecting the Asian Shore Crab
(Hemigrapsus sanguineus). This species has been selected for our class
dissection because it is an invasive species. The size of the lab groups for the
dissection will vary based on the number of H. sanguineus that were collected.
Step 1. Draw and label the external anatomy of your Asian Shore Crab below.
- We have a male, abdomen is narrow
- Crab anatomy…
 - Crab blood cells under microscope…

Step 2. Place your Asian Shore Crab into the freezer in a sealed container for 5 –
10 minutes. After removing your crab from the freezer, it should still be
mobile, but sluggish.
Step 3. The first step was done so the crab can be humanly euthanized. The
scientific term for an animal killed in an experiment is sacrificed. This
terminology is common in publications. The carapace has a top and bottom
half. To sacrifice your crab for the dissection, press down on the location where
the legs meet the body with one finger. At the same time push up on the
carapace at the same location. This will cause the top of the carapace to pop off
in a single motion.
Step 4. Immediately, look at the center of the crab. The gelatinous mass that is
pulsating is the heart. Your crab may continue to move its legs after being
sacrificed. The animal is dead, but nerve impulses still fire causing the legs to
twitch.
Step 5. Draw and label the internal anatomy of your Asian Shore Crab below.
 -
Part 5: Misc. Crab species
Draw the anatomical features each of the live crabs on display below. Your
drawing does not need to be labelled with names of the parts but should
include the common name and genus and species. For example, on a blue crab
be sure the correct number of spines are located between the eyes which varies
by species.
Lastly, draw the horseshoe crab molt with its anatomical features. Include the
common name and genus and species. Note: horseshoe crabs are not crabs.
They are chelicerates.