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General Introduction

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Book cover Terrestrial Hermit Crab Populations in the Maldives

Part of the book series: BestMasters ((BEST))

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Abstract

Hermit crabs (superfamily: Paguroidea) are decapod crustaceans that can be found in virtually all marine environments, from the tropics to the temperate and polar regions. Nearly all of the more than 800 described species are characterized by an uncalcified abdominal exoskeleton. Due to this unique feature, they have adapted to the utilization and occupation of empty gastropod shells (and a few other types of protective structures).

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Correspondence to Sebastian Steibl .

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© 2020 The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH, part of Springer Nature

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Steibl, S. (2020). General Introduction. In: Terrestrial Hermit Crab Populations in the Maldives. BestMasters. Springer Spektrum, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-29541-7_1

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