The genus Coenobita contains 17 species of terrestrial hermit crabs. Several species in this genus are kept as pets.

Ecology

Coenobita species carry water in the gastropod shells they inhabit, allowing them to stay out of water for a long time.

Distribution

The majority of the species are found in the Indo-Pacific region, with only one species in West Africa, one species occurring along the Atlantic coast of the Americas, and one species occurring on the Pacific coast of the Americas.

Taxonomy

Coenobita is closely related to the coconut crab, Birgus latro, with the two genera making up the family Coenobitidae. The name Coenobita was coined by Pierre André Latreille in 1829, from an Ecclesiastical Latin word, ultimately from the Greek κοινόβιον, meaning "commune"; the genus is masculine in gender.