Huisjes van de Gewone tuinslak Cepaea nemoralis (L., 1758) gebruikt door Gewone heremietkreeften Pagurus bernardus (L., 1758) op het strand van Langevelderslag (Noordwijk, Zuid-Holland)

On December 11th 2013 two live Common hermit crabs Pagurus bernardus were found on the beach of Langevelderslag (The Netherlands). These used shells of the Grove snail Cepaea nemoralis as protection. This interesting combination of a marine crustacean and a shell of a terrestrial gastropod is described and discussed. It is concluded that empty Cepaea shells most likely were washed out of the dunes due to heavy coastal erosion during a storm that occurred on 5 December 2013, which probably also washed the Hermit crabs ashore. They lost their original shell and settled for an available alternative: a Cepaea shell. These finds represent the second and third published record of this phenomenon from a Dutch beach, being the first in over 60 years.