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Which malacostracans form symbiotic relationships with sponges, corals, and anemones?
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malacostracan
Hermit crab (Pagurus samuelis).
Several groups of malacostracans form symbiotic relationships with sponges, corals, and anemones:
- Decapods: Many decapods, particularly porcellanid and xanthid crabs, live permanently within cavities found among sponges, corals, and bryozoans. Additionally, certain true crabs carry sea anemones on their legs, backs, or even within their claws, providing the anemones with transport while receiving protection from predators in return.12
- Amphipods: Some species of amphipods reside within the respiratory and feeding cavities of sponges and anemones.1
- Hermit Crabs: These crustaceans often maintain associations with sea anemones, which may live on the shells inhabited by the crabs. In some cases, the crabs actively move the anemones to new shells as they grow, while in others, the anemones relocate themselves to the new shells.2