Classification

Common names of Clibanarius tricolor

Domain: Eukarya

The characteristics that belong to the organisms in this domain all contain a true nucleus.

Kingdom: Animalia

Members of this kingdom all possess the characteristics of being multicellular, heterotrophic, lack structural cell walls, and are motile at some stage in life.

Phylum: Arthropoda

The arthropods are ecdysozoans, which means they molt. Molting is found in the arthropods and also the nematodes, but what makes the arthropods unique, is that their exoskeletal bodies are made up of segments, whereas the nematodes are elongated and unsegmented.

Subphylum: Crustacea

There are many characteristics of this subphylum that make it easy to identify that the Clibanarius tricolor belongs in this group. Members of this group all have gills, which may be present in the thoracic cavity or on the appendages. Majority of the organisms are suspension filter feeders, but the organisms of larger size become predators. Their special appendages are used for cutting, tearing, and collecting.

Class: Malacostraca

More than half of the Crustacea are made up of members that belong in the class Malacostraca. Their soft shells and 14 segments identify them.

Subclass: Eumalacostraca

Order: Decapoda

Members of the order Decapoda are made up of the crabs, shrimp, lobster, and crayfish. These organisms have the characteristics of having ten legs.

Infraorder: Anomura

Hermit crabs, king crabs, squat lobsters, porcelain crabs and mole crabs are the members of this infraorder. They include the name crab, but are not considered to be true crabs. What makes these members different is that their abdomen are elongated to fit their shells or folded under their bodies. They are also considered the “left-handed crabs” (McLaughlin, P. et. al 1892)

Superfamily: Paguroidea

Family: Diogenidae

Members of this family share the same characteristic of being left-handed.

Genus: Clibanarius

This genus can also be referred to as Clibanarius Dana. Clibanarius comes from the Latin word which means to be protected by armor (Latdict 2014). The characteristics of the members of this genus have the gastropod shell to protect their bodies as armor.

Species: Clibanarius tricolor

What makes the Clibanarius tricolor unique is the fact that they are ambidextrous, which means they are able to use both hands and are not specific to just right-handedness or left-handedness. Tri, meaning three, shows that this organism is made up of three different colors.